A mother in northeast France received a text from a phone traced to Syria: “Your son died as a martyr Nov. 13.”
That mom went to the police. And with this new information, authorities in France investigating the terrorist attacks in Paris now know the identity of the third killer at the Bataclan concert venue.
So far, all of the identified Paris attackers were Europeans trained by Islamic State extremists.
From the Associated Press:
For nearly four weeks, police had failed to identify the third gunman who stormed the concert venue along with two French Islamic extremists, killing nearly three-quarters of the total 130 people who died in the Paris attacks.
Then, about 10 days ago, Foued Mohamed-Aggad’s mother in Strasbourg received a text message in English announcing her son’s death “as a martyr” — a typical way that the Islamic State group notifies families of casualties. She gave French police a DNA sample which showed that one of her sons was killed inside the Bataclan, his brother’s lawyer said, confirming an account by French officials, who requested anonymity to release details of the investigation.
“Without the mother, there would have been nothing,” said the lawyer, Francoise Cotta.
Text to mom announcing death reveals 3rd Bataclan attacker [AP]
PHOTO: Flowers and candles are seen placed outside the Le Carillon restaurant the morning after a series of deadly attacks in Paris , November 14, 2015. REUTERS/Christian Hartman