Paris Attacks: Jihadis targeted Bataclan theatre for years

Bataclan, the 19th century Parisian theatre where three suicide bombers killed 89 concert goers on Friday, first came into the crosshairs of jihadi terrorists more than six years ago.

French authorities identified a threat to the venue as early as 2009, when they arrested Farouk Ben Abbas, a Belgian jihadi, following an attack on a group of French students in Cairo, according to two people involved in the investigation.

Two years later another suspect connected to the same plot told investigators that the Bataclan had been targeted because of its alleged pro-Israeli views. The music hall had been criticised by pro-Palestinian groups for hosting an annual gala dinner in honour of Israeli border police a few years earlier. The plotters were linked to Jaish al-Islam, a Gaza-based affiliate of al-Qaeda.

Investigators have now established a link between some members of Jaish al-Islam and Friday’s attacks, which killed 129 in the French capital. The voice of Fabien Clain, a 37-year-old French-born jihadi who knew Mr Abbas, was recognised in the video released by Isis, the terrorist organisation that controls a swath of territory in Iraq and Syria, to claim responsibility for the Paris assaults. Both Mr Abbas and Mr Clain were also involved in networks that channelled fighters to Iraq in the early 2000s, according to Jean-Charles Brisard, an antiterrorist expert.

“The connections go a long way back — some were childhood friends, some met in Brussels,” Mr Brisard said.

The presence of veteran jihadis in Isis ranks underlines the porous nature of Islamist terrorist organisations as they vie with one another to attract members and increase their strength and influence.

The Kouachi brothers, who stormed the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo with kalashnikovs in January, also had previous involvement in Iraq-linked jihadi cells. They claimed to have received their instructions for their attack from al-Qaeda, while a third terrorist, Amedy Coulibaly, who killed a police officer and four Jewish hostages in co-ordinated attacks with the Kouachis, said he had received his orders from Isis.

In addition to the links between the terrorist groups, investigators had been aware since August that Isis was seeking to attack a concert hall, raising questions over whether the authorities should have taken measures to protect Bataclan. Police officers caught a French returnee from Syria in August, who admitted that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a terrorist suspected

of masterminding Friday’s attacks, had instructed him to hit a music venue.

Bataclan, built in the shape of a Chinese pagoda in 1864, was named after a popular and light-hearted operetta by French composer Jacques Offenbach. The venue, which was bought by French media group Lagardère two months ago, hosts rock bands and stand-up comedians as well as political meetings.