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French Let Convicted Terrorist Go, He Stabs Police And Kidnaps Their Son

REUTERS/Yves Herman

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Saagar Enjeti White House Correspondent
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French Terrorist Larossi Abballa was convicted in 2013 for being an Islamic State recruiter and sentenced to three years in prison but only served six months. Three years later in the late hours of June 13 Aballa stabbed a French policeman outside his front door.

He then entered his house to kill his companion who also worked for the French interior ministry, and then held their three year old son hostage until being killed in a raid by elite French counter-terrorism forces.

Aballa boasted about the attack on social media and even posted a live video of his killings on Facebook. Before his account was suspended he included close up photos of his two victims. He also reportedly could be heard on the video contemplating whether or not to kill the police couples three year old son.

Aballa had a kill list of French journalists and entertainers, according to French authorities. An official ISIS media channel released a video of Aballa days before the attack swearing his allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Bagdadi. In his video he urged potential lone wolf terrorists “to disregard the religion of the victim, even if they are Muslim,” according to SITE intelligence group.

In 2011 Aballa traveled to Pakistan to meet an Al Qaeda official but was apprehended at the airport. A former French judge familiar with the case told the BBC News, “He wanted to carry out jihad, for sure. He had been in training in France, not militarily but physically.” He was released immediately after the trial after having two of his three years suspended and getting credit for time served.

After he was released immediately after his trial Aballa was placed on a watch list of individuals deemed dangerous to state security. Despite being under further investigation by French authorities into a connection with ISIS in Syria he was not seen as an imminent threat.

In his live Facebook video of his grisly attacks he referred to the ongoing as European soccer tournament as a “graveyard.” French President Francois Hollande said after the attack; “It’s unquestionably a terrorist act,” and stressed that France was still “facing a very significant terrorist threat.”

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