Officials: extremist's misfire foiled attack on Paris church

[webfact]

Officials: extremist's misfire foiled attack on Paris church
LORI HINNANT, Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — An Islamic extremist with an arsenal of loaded guns was prevented from opening fire on churchgoers only because he accidentally shot himself in the leg, French officials said Wednesday.

The 24-year-old computer science student, who was also suspected in the death of a young woman whose body was found on Sunday shortly before his arrest, had been flagged as a risk for intent to travel to Syria but there had been no specific reason to open a judicial investigation, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Wednesday.

Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said the suspect — an Algerian who had lived in France for several years — was arrested in Paris Sunday after he apparently shot himself by accident and called for an ambulance.

He was waiting outside his apartment building for first aid when police arrived. They followed a trail of blood to his car, which contained loaded guns, and notes about potential targets.

A search of his apartment in southeastern Paris turned up more weapons including three Kalashnikov assault rifles along with phones and computers that police used to establish that he'd been in communication with someone "who could have been in Syria," Molins said at a news conference.

This person "explicitly asked him to target a church," Molins said, declining to answer questions about the investigation into what he termed "an imminent attack."

Police also found Arabic-language material that mentioned al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in the man's apartment, Molins said. There was no immediate evidence that the suspect had direct ties to any organized groups, said a French security official who was not authorized to publicly release details.

Police arrested one person believed to be acquainted with the suspect Wednesday evening in the town of Saint-Dizier, Molins said, but gave no further details.

Aurelie Chatelain, a 32-year-old Frenchwoman visiting in Paris, was found shot to death in her car on Sunday morning. The security official said Chatelain appeared to have been killed at random and ballistics evidence linked her death to the suspect.

The suspect was treated for a leg wound and remained hospitalized on Wednesday.

An attack on a church would be a new target in France, where Jewish sites have been under increased protection since the 2012 attack on a Jewish school and the killings at a kosher supermarket this year.

Extremists have targeted Christians in the Middle East. A video released on Sunday showed Islamic State militants in Libya killing captive Ethiopian Christians.

"The terrorists target France to divide us," Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Wednesday.

France has been on edge since the Jan. 7-9 attacks on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket left 20 people dead, including the three gunmen. In that case, at least two of the gunmen had been flagged to French intelligence — and the third had been recently released from prison after serving a sentence involving his ties to Islamic extremists — but surveillance was called off months before the attack.

The thwarted attack was announced hours before Cazeneuve met with executives from top Internet companies, including Google and Twitter, to talk about the government's plan to increase online surveillance and block jihadi propaganda.
___

Associated Press writer Greg Keller in Paris contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-04-23

[Pimay1]

A lobotomy is in order for this dude.

[smedly]

This is all going to escalate and end very badly, why can people not live and let live, we all have an individual right to pursue whatever belief we chose as long as it doesn't affect others and respects the laws and principals of the nation we live.

On an international level it is important to remove any perceived national threat and help those being persecuted by madness and evil

[MaxYakov]

A lobotomy is in order for this dude.

I think some other "dudes" beat us to it. I'd recommend at least a gun safety course.

[Steely Dan]

For Christians in the west who shrug as dark skinned third world Christians are slaughtered this should come as a wake up call. Islamists are coming for everyone except devout Sunni Muslims in every corner of the globe which they infest. Time to end the infestation by reversing the boat armada that heads for Europe with an armada heading in the opposite direction. Tickets would be complementary and one way.

[rethaier]

And they are only getting started. The worst is yet to come unless these terrorist Muslims are rounded up and disposed of. Wake up politicians/world, if we wait much longer it will be too late and the war will be in our cities.

[JockPieandBeans]

Five terrorist attacks in France have been foiled in recent months, France's Prime Minister Manuel Valls has revealed

Apparently

"Numerous attacks had already been foiled; five if you take into account the attack which happily did not take place at Villejuif," Mr Valls told radio station France Inter.

http://news.sky.com/story/1470581/five-terrorist-attacks-in-france-foiled

So the ones we actually hear about are only the tip off the iceberg.

[Pimay1]

This is all going to escalate and end very badly, why can people not live and let live, we all have an individual right to pursue whatever belief we chose as long as it doesn't affect others and respects the laws and principals of the nation we live.

On an international level it is important to remove any perceived national threat and help those being persecuted by madness and evil

Well said.

[Suffinator]

A lobotomy is in order for this dude.

Better the death penalty. Have it over and done with. Pity he didn't shot himself in the head and saved time and effort prosecuting him.

[Baerboxer]

A lobotomy is in order for this dude.

Preferably carried out with a blunt spoon!

[godden]

Send them all back and the politicians can go with them.

[Steely Dan]

So the computer science graduate was obviously suffering from lack of education and job prospects leading to his radicalization. Best throw even more money at education for immigrants then.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/04/he_is_muslim_he_had_a_job_and_opportunities_and_he_is_still_a_terrorist.html

[Johnny S]

A lobotomy is in order for this dude.

and his Family + friends + Fellow mosquegoers + anyone he ever knew

[NeverSure]

I wonder how this guy got two Kalashnikov (AK) guns into France. Those things are com-block (Russian) design used by Russia and allies, many ME and African countries and China. To be of any use he'd also need a lot of ammo which is also com-block. The guns are low quality and not real powerful or accurate, but up close they have a lot of firepower. (Up to 200 meters, m/l.)

I think that this type of thing will cause W. European police to begin to have comparable weapons. Someone will have to be available to take guys like this out.

[simple1]

I wonder how this guy got two Kalashnikov (AK) guns into France. Those things are com-block (Russian) design used by Russia and allies, many ME and African countries and China. To be of any use he'd also need a lot of ammo which is also com-block. The guns are low quality and not real powerful or accurate, but up close they have a lot of firepower. (Up to 200 meters, m/l.)

I think that this type of thing will cause W. European police to begin to have comparable weapons. Someone will have to be available to take guys like this out.

It is claimed that often the Islamists obtain their weapons from criminal smuggling gangs. Specially trained European police forces do have military assault weapons.

[Bwanatickey]

We are going to lose this battle.

[Steely Dan]

We are going to lose this battle.

Alas quite likely if the progressives get their way.