On December 12, 2015, French security services released the name of the third perpetrator of the Bataclan terror attack, Foued Mohamed-Aggad. He was a identified as a member of the cell that carried out the November 13, 2015 attack inside the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, in which 90 people were murdered. Aggad was a known member of the Islamic State (ISIS), which he had joined in December 2013.
A profile picture on the Facebook account used by Foued Mohamed-Aggad in 2014
This profile of Foued Mohamed-Aggad is based on the Facebook account he managed during June-August 2014. The material is part of MEMRI's large database on active foreign fighters, compiled from social media over a period of years for purposes of research and monitoring. [1]
Foued Mohamed-Aggad, born in September 1992, is originally from Strasbourg in the east of France. His family is of Moroccan origin, from Oujda in the Rif region. He is believed to have reached Syria in December 2013 with a group of a dozen young men from the same region, including his own brother
Foued Mohamed-Aggad in a photo with a baby believed to be his own, born in Syria.
On Facebook, Aggad wrote on a number of successive accounts, under variants of the name Abou Foued Al-Muhajir ("the immigrant"). His account was popular and was followed by hundreds of other jihadi fighters or supporters. Notable among his friends was Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the man considered to be the operational head of the November Paris attacks. Also among his friends were dozens of known ISIS fighters, some of whom have been killed in Syria and others who have returned to Europe and are currently in custody.
Pictures shared by Aggad on Facebook. On the right he comments: "Allah be praised, I got a new job for the sake of Allah: PKC [machine gunner]."
Aggad was married, and shared photos of himself with his baby. His wife, who is believed to be French, is thought to be currently in Syria or Iraq with ISIS. According to information he shared, he lived for a while in Deir Ez-Zor (where many French-speaking ISIS fighters are known to be deployed), and was deployed in both Iraq and Syria as a combat infantry fighter. Photos he shared confirm his claim that he was serving as a heavy machine gunner.
In a check-in on Facebook, Aggad states that he was in the Syrian city of Deir Ez-Zor working for the Islamic State in 2013 "fighting in the front line for martyrdom"
The following exchange was posted by Aggad on July 18, 2014, weeks after ISIS declared itself to be the caliphate, but before the beginning of Western intervention in the war against the organization. He wrote: "[This is a] message to the brothers in faith, those who cannot make hijra [immigrate] for x reason. Cause attacks, be an enemy from within, blow everything up, it doesn’t matter where or how, by any means! Kill them wherever you find them! Do not attempt to integrate yourself in France, they do not even want you! And do not forget that all those who imitate a people will become one of them! [i.e., those who try to integrate in a non-Muslim society will become infidels themselves] You who read this message, does it not pain you to be like them? In short, do not remain passive in the face of current events. The sermon in the mosques we know them well: peace, serenity, love, etc.
"Meanwhile, the disbelievers preach another religion: EXTERMINATE ISLAM. They are working for their own paradise (earthly goods), and you, who are you working for? Have you prepared your future life?
"Jihad, Jihad and I repeat it, it’s the time of jihad, to return to Allah and his messenger and take up arms once again.
"The wind of faith is blowing; it is time for oppressed to rebel!"
Other fighters and supporters responded to this post:
Foulan Ibn Foulan [ISIS fighter]: "We want a fatwa from Sheikh Soufiane As-Soulami[2] or another and we will blow up the UN in Geneva God willing"
Yassine Abdallah: "NATO in Belgium [Reference to NATO headquarters as possible target] … We just need a group of 10 brothers with Kalashnikovs in hand and we will charge head first in the masses for a maximum amount of casualties."
Foulan Ibn Foulan, to Aggad: "Come back to France to do it, it's too easy to do it in the Levant."[3]
In another Facebook post, Aggad stated: "I am just a soldier among many that have joined the ranks and await martyrdom."
Aggad shared many photos documenting his jihad with ISIS. The photos were often accompanied by specific Koranic verses, as seen above.
As part of his recruitment activity online, Aggad posted pictures of the "good life" in jihad. He comments here: "Yes, there isn't just war in the Levant. It's not the dream swimming pools, but when it's 50 degrees outside, I am not going to refuse haha."
Foued Mohamed-Aggad with another French-speaking ISIS fighter known as Abu Souleyman.
[1] See MEMRI JTTM report An In-Depth Look At One Of The Facebook/Twitter Networks Of French-Speaking Jihadis Fighting In Syria: Glorifying Jihad In Syria, Condemning "Heretical" France, February 17, 2014.
[2] A reference to the Bahraini cleric Turki Al-Bin'ali, one of ISIS's top clerics, who goes by the nickname Abu Sufyan Al-Sulami.
[3] Several jihad fighters who exchanged online messages with Aggad featured in previous MEMRI reports, including Foulan Ibn Foulan and Abu Souleyman. See MEMRI JTTM report In-Depth Profile Of Demoralized Elite ISIS Fighter From Belgium, July 8, 2015, and MEMRI JTTM report On Facebook, French IS Supporters And Fighters Urge Attacks In France And Europe, October 13, 2014.
