The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On June 15, 2016, the Islamic State (ISIS) news agency A'maq released a video of Larossi Abballa, the 25-year-old French citizen who had, the previous day, stabbed to death a plainclothes police officer and his partner, who is also a police officer, in front of their home in the Paris suburb of Magnanville.[1] In the video, Abballa, speaking in French, pledges allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and declares that his actions were a response to ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-'Adnani's call for supporters of ISIS in the West to attack non-Muslims in their countries.[2] In the 11-minute video, Abballa, who appears to be reading from a script, calls for attacks on prison guards, rappers, and journalists, providing specific names for the latter. He also adds that the Euro 2016 soccer championship will be attacked.
Below is a translation of Abballa's statements in the video:
JTTM subscribers can request a full copy of the video.
"First, I pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
"My first words are for the Muslim community, the Muslim nation: O my people: what has happened to you? How have you come to this? What punishment has befallen you? You once ruled the world and you are now ruled. You once applied Allah's law, and now the laws of the taghut[3] are ruling you. You turned away from Allah and His Prophet and therefore punishment has befallen you. The Prophet Muhammad said that a nation cannot not abandon [the duty of] jihad for the sake of Allah without being humiliated, as was related by Abu Daoud [in a hadith].[4] He also said that this religion will continue to exist and [that] a group from among my community [i.e., the Muslim community] will keep fighting to protect it until the time [i.e. Judgment Day] comes, as was related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim [in a hadith].[5] This hadith mentions armed combat, al-qital, as the characteristic of this group. Allah said that, 'if you do not go forth to fight, He will punish you with a painful punishment, and will replace you [Muslims] with another people' [Quran 9:39].
"These are the reasons of our fall. Why do you hate death when it is only a path to freedom for the believer? The Romans [i.e., al-rum, meaning the Christian West] have power over us. Is there anything worse, O people of Muhammad? One question is obvious. In our time, what is the best path to follow? The path of [gaining] religious learning without applying it, or the path of exalting the word of Allah by taking up arms? Look at the situation of the Muslim nation and ask yourself this question, and you will know what path to follow. We have come to a time in which the prophet-killers [the Jews], May Allah curse them, are wishing us a good Ramadan. What a humiliation!
"This is a message to my brothers who are incarcerated in France and elsewhere: Be patient, persistent and steadfast. Know that Allah has protected you from many troubles. He has put you aside [in prison] to keep you close to him, so [have] patience, beautiful patience. Be firm in your worship, and my dear brothers, you too [can fight by] attacking the prison guards. Is spilling their blood not lawful? Of course it is! And even if their name is Muhammad or Aisha, kill them, [for] they are the executive arm of the taghut.
"Now let me address the Muslims of France, those [of them] whom Allah has privileged with a true understanding of the text and a concern for the [fate of] Muslims. Attack these [French] infidels by your own means, make France and their souls tremble. Be [the factor] that will cause Allah to once again give supremacy to His religion. Become [like] Salah Al-Din[6] and Tarik Ibn Ziad.[7] Become [like] Mu'tasim, who gave everything in sacrifice for Allah. O you who have everything to gain, go forth and answer the call of your emir, Abu Muhammad Al-'Adnani. Imagine, Muslim, all you need to do is go forth and die, and then you will be in Paradise with your Prophet; with Abu Bakr; with Othman; with 'Ali;[8] with Al-Muthanna;[9] with the leader of the martyrs, Hamza;[10] with Al-Khalil, the close friend of Allah, [namely] Ibrahim [i.e., Abraham], and with Moses. God be praised, what an immense blessing it will be! At that moment there will be no more troubles, no more challenges, only pleasure without end. So go forth, and know that you are a minority on the right path.
"There is no shortage of Murjites[11] and Sufis. You [Sufis and Murjites] are like the sea foam. Allah said, 'if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allah' [Koran 6:116]. In this verse, Allah tells us that only a minority will follow the right path... Yes, Allah has chosen you and not the other billions of people. The pseudo-Salafis are more numerous than we are. They believe they are following the Companions of the prophet, but the Companions would disavow those ignoramuses. Those people are like the Jews, they gain [religious learning] but do not apply it.
"So go forth and do not think of your loved ones, of your wives or your money... or of your children... Even if Allah had given us 1,000 years or 100,000 years to live on earth... it would have been insignificant compared to the afterlife. The afterlife is infinite. It is either Paradise or Hell for eternity. Allah says [in Koran 9:24]: 'If your fathers, your children, your brothers, your wives, your clans, the goods you have gathered, the businesses you fear to lose or your houses that you love - if [all these things] are more important to your than Allah and his messengers and the fight in his path, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the perverse.' In this verse, Allah mentions everything that could hold you back, praise the Lord. We have no excuse. Allah is now distinguishing among people and uncovering people's [true nature], so take the opportunity to know who your ally is and especially who your enemy is. Allah said: Kill, 'fight the heads of unbelief' [Koran 9:12].
"I call upon you to prioritize [the killing of] police officers... I have just killed a police officer and I have just killed his wife. I call upon you to kill policemen, prison guards, journalists, and especially - yes yes yes yes, listen to me well and apply this - attack especially the journalists, specifically Gilles Kepel, Léa Salamé, and Bernard de La Villardière, yes, that taghut, this enemy of Allah, kill him, follow him to his home and kill him. [Also] Ruth Elkrief, Audry Pulvar, and the hypocrite apostate Muhammad Sifaoui. I will not mention all of them. Allah has not given me all the names. By Allah, kill them all! Kill them! Kill them! They have sold the religion, they have betrayed Allah and his Prophet, so kill them, as well as parliamentarians and mayors of your towns. It's super easy, you only need to wait for them in front of their offices. Do not let them rest. O policemen, o journalists, know that you will not have any rest, we will wait for you in front of your houses, such is your punishment.
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"I also call you to target rappers, because they are Satan's allies. [The French rapper] Kaaris mocked his Lord. Stick a bullet between his eyes, as well as Booba [a French rapper]. Kill them at one of their concerts. They lead people astray and they deserve to be sent to Hell. Oh, you rappers, repent sincerely, for we will come get you, just as I have come to get this police officer in his home.
"Now let me address the infidel French authorities: this is the consequence of your actions. You have closed the doors of hijra to us [i.e. emigration to ISIS-controlled areas], you have closed the doors of the Caliphate, so we have opened the door of jihad on your land.[12] Did you think we would sit here waiting? Well, you were wrong. We have other surprises waiting for you, for the Euro 2016, I will say no more. The Euro will be a cemetery. We too, Hollande - yes I have not forgotten your statement - we too will be ruthless. I have been ruthless with this police officer and his wife.
"I would like to conclude with these words: The [true] believer is the mirror of [his fellow] believer, the believer is the brother of [his fellow] believer, he protects him from misfortune, he has his back. [But] you, the pseudo-Salafi, you do the exact opposite. You expose us to a misfortune by handing us over to the infidels, believing that this is an act of worship, when in fact it is a clear act of apostasy. [I am referring to] you, the misleading imams [like] Rachid Abou Hudeyfah[13] and his ilk.
"Today, jihad is fard 'ayn, which means it is the duty of each and every [Muslim]. Muslim lands are occupied, and the task of recovering a land occupied by the enemy is just that, [a personal obligation]. Muslim lands are occupied and it is obligatory for each and every Muslim to re-conquer these lands, even without [an order from] an Imam [a leader]. Yes, for a long time you [moderate clerics] hid this from us, you attempted to hold us back with this false argument, [namely] that there is need [for an order by] the Imam. Sheikh Abdul Rahman Ibn Hasan[14] answered an opponent of jihad by saying to him: 'According to what proof or book is jihad an obligation only when it is ordered by an Imam? This is a [forbidden] innovation in religion and leads the believer astray.' He added that there are numerous proofs from the Quran and hadith that contradict what you have written, namely that the Imam's [order] is required. As for the proofs and the opinions of the scholars and the texts, even an idiot would understand them... Abdul Rahman Ibn Hasan, the one who said this, was the grandson and student of Sheikh [Muhammad] Ibn Abdul Wahhab.
"Ibn Hazm[15] said: We fight under an Imam, but one can also attack infidels alone, if he is able... Is it not enough for you to know that 66 countries have unified to fight against the [Islamic] State? Can you imagine that? 66 countries cannot stop the acts of 55,000 men. All praise is for Allah. All glory is for Allah. Are your hearts so blind? What other [proof] do you need? Why do you suspect them [i.e., ISIS]? Why not do some research on your own, to find out if they really are misguided, as some claim? Allah said: How many times has a handful [of fighters] won against many, by Allah's grace[?] And Allah is with the enduring [Koran 2:249].
"O French people, know that our religion will be established despite the beliefs that some of you harbor about it. I would like to finish by addressing my family. May Allah protect you and bring you closer to him. I will make your hearts stop, but know that it is for a noble cause. You never wanted to follow my path, sometimes [even] thinking me crazy, but such is the path of the prophets. Educate your children to obey Allah, and you, just like your children, learn monotheism, [for] the end is near.
"This is it. O people of Muhammad, the police is surrounding me, and I have surprises for them. May Allah favor me, inshallah. Allah is the one whose help is sought. Those who are in contact with brothers of ISIS and who are safe, tell them we have heeded [the call of] Sheikh Al-'Adnani. So that's it, brothers. Pray for me, pray for Allah to give me martyrdom and to strengthen me. Pray for me, pray for me, pray for me."
Endnotes:
[1] See MEMRI JTTM report ISIS Claims Responsibility For The Murder Of Two Police Officers In Paris Suburb, June 14, 2016.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM report ISIS Spokesman Al-'Adnani Urges 'Caliphate Soldiers,' ISIS Supporters To Target Civilians In Europe, U.S. During Ramadan, May 21, 2016.
[3] Taghut: a false deity or idol; Salafi-jihadis apply the term to their enemies, mainly to rulers who do not govern according to the laws of the shari'a.
[4] Abu Daoud (d. 889) - compiled one of the six most important hadith compendiums.
[5] Muhammad Al-Bukhari (d. 870) and Muslim bin Al-Hajjaj (d. 875) - compiled the hadith compendiums that are considered the most important and most reliable in Sunni Islam.
[6] Saladin (d. 1193) - the Muslim sultan who defeated the Crusaders.
[7] Tariq bin Ziad - the commander who led the Muslims' eighth century conquest of the Iberian peninsula.
[8] Abu Bakr, Othman and Ali - three of the first four caliphs.
[9] Al-Muthanna - a commander of Muslim raids against the Persians in the early Islamic period.
[10] Hamza bin 'Abd Al-Muttalib - a Companion of the prophet Muhammad who died in the Battle of Uhud.
[11] The Murjites were members of an early Islamic school that opposed declaring other Muslims apostates; Salafi-jihadis use the term as a pejorative for other Salafi Muslims whom they consider too moderate.
[12] This is another reference to Al-'Adnani's speech: "[We specifically call] on the soldiers of the Caliphate in Europe and the U.S.: Oh servants of Allah, Oh monotheists, if the tyrants have shut the doors of hijra [immigration to ISIS territories] in your face, then open the gate of jihad in their faces and make them regret their action."
[13] Salafi cleric Rachid Abou Hudeyfah - the imam of the town of Brest in western France.
[14] Abd Al-Rahman Ibn Hassan Aal Al-Sheikh (d. 1869) - the grandson and disciple of the founder of the Wahhabi school of Islam, Muhammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab, and a revered Wahhabi scholar in his own right.
[15] Abu Muhammad Ibn Hazm (d. 1064) - an Andalusian scholar of Islamic law and theology.
