IS releases video of nine ‘Paris attackers’

Beirut, January 25

The Islamic State group has released a video purporting to show nine jihadists behind the November Paris attacks that killed 130 people, in which they threaten “coalition” countries, including Britain.
The video posted yesterday on jihadist websites is entitled “Kill wherever you find them”, and shows four Belgians, three French citizens and two Iraqis said to be responsible for the attacks.
In it the jihadists, speaking in French and in Arabic, say their “message is addressed to all the countries taking part in the (US-led) coalition” that has been fighting IS in Syria and Iraq since September 2014.
The video also shows a picture of British Prime Minister David Cameron accompanied by the words in English: “Whoever stands in the ranks of kufr (unbelievers) will be a target for our swords.”
The video, produced by IS’s Al-Hayat Media Centre, describes the nine jihadists as “lions” who “brought France to its knees”.
The footage shows images of the coordinated Paris attacks as well as security operations by French special forces during the onslaught.
It also depicts the nine jihadists carrying out atrocities, including beheading and shooting people described as hostages.
‘More attacks on Europe’
Islamic State and other militants are very likely to mount big, new operations in Europe following the attacks on Paris last year, the EU’s police agency said on Monday.
Europol said in a report: “There is every reason to expect that IS, IS-inspired terrorists or another religiously inspired terrorist group will undertake a terrorist attack somewhere in Europe again, but particularly in France, intended to cause mass casualties amongst the civilian population. This is in addition to the threat of lone actor attacks, which has not diminished.” At a news conference to mark the launch of a new European Counter Terrorism Centre within Europol, based in The Hague, its director, Rob Wainwright, said the assessment by EU national security chiefs showed that Islamic State “has the willingness and capability to carry out further attacks in Europe”.