Rabat – King Mohammed VI has sent a message of condolence to French President François Hollande following the terrorist attack that targeted the French security forces on the Champs-Elysées Avenue in Paris on Thursday.
Rabat – King Mohammed VI has sent a message of condolence to French President François Hollande following the terrorist attack that targeted the French security forces on the Champs-Elysées Avenue in Paris on Thursday.
In this message, the King expressed his sincere condolences to President Hollande and the family of the deceased police officer, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
The Moroccan monarch also expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation of this abject terrorist act, voicing Morocco’s full solidarity with the French people and its firm support through this ordeal.
“The Kingdom of Morocco also reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the international fight against terrorism, which threatens the sacred right to life and violates the universal human values,” the royal message added.
The 39-year-old perpetrator, Karim Cheurfi, was a Paris resident with a long criminal record and a history of violent confrontations with police. According to BBC News, Cheurfi launched his attack with a Kalashnikov assault rifle. He managed to shoot two police officers, killing one, before he was shot dead by security forces as he attempted to flee the scene.
After his last release from prison in 2015, Cheurfi’s lawyer described his client as fragile.
Then, after uttering threats against the police last February, he was arrested and his home searched by police. At the time, they found hunting knives and masks but it wasn’t sufficient evidence to hold him so Cheurfi was released.
Paris prosecutor, Francois Molins, stated “At that stage, no link with the radical Islamist movement was apparent. Nothing justified further investigations by my office.”
French investigators are still looking into whether he had any help in carrying out his deadly attack.
Soon after the attack was over, ISIS claimed Cheurfi as one of their “fighters” but identified him as “Abu Yousif al-Bebiki [the Belgian].” According to a report by Reuters, a police source said “We don’t understand why Islamic State has identified the wrong person. What does seem clear is that Islamic State was planning something.”
