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TERRORISM

Singer in Paris attack says ‘sorry’ for alleging inside job

The frontman of the band whose concert was targeted in the Paris attacks apologized at the weekend for alleging that the club's security guards were involved, saying he was struggling with trauma.

Singer in Paris attack says 'sorry' for alleging inside job
Hughes also said that his earlier statements did not reflect the views of others in the band. Photo: AFP

“I humbly beg forgiveness from the people of France, the staff and security of the Bataclan, my fans, family, friends and anyone else hurt or offended by the absurd accusations I made,” said Jesse Hughes, singer and guitarist of Eagles of Death Metal.

“My suggestions that anyone affiliated with the Bataclan played a role in the events of November 13th are unfounded and baseless — and I take full responsibility for them,” he said in a statement.

The artist in an interview with the Fox Business channel had cast suspicion on the guards of the Bataclan club, suggesting that some had been involved in the attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Hughes had cited as evidence the lack of eye contact of a guard in charge of the backstage area and what he said was the absence of around six security personnel on the night of the attack.

Ninety people were killed when assailants opened fire and hurled grenades during the set of the California garage rockers in the deadliest of a series of coordinated attacks around Paris.

The Bataclan, a historic venue for mid-sized acts in Paris, had strongly denied the rocker's suggestion, saying that its staff likely saved hundreds of lives and concluded that his judgment was clouded by the trauma.

Hughes offered a similar rationale in his apology, saying: “I've been dealing with non-stop nightmares and struggling through therapy to make sense of this tragedy and insanity. I haven't been myself since November 13th.”

Hughes also said that his earlier statements did not reflect the views of others in the band, declaring: “The shame is 100 percent mine.”

A total of 130 people were killed in the series of attacks, with 350 more injured, many of them grievously.

Hughes had not definitively alleged an inside job, saying that he was offering his own assessment as police complete their investigation.

Hughes in a previous interview also cast suspicion on security at the club, saying that the band's soundman spotted two people already in the club before the show whose attire and behavior were atypical for rock fans.

He also said that the assailants allowed several people to leave, which he offered as evidence that they were familiar with the club's audience.

TERRORISM

Italian police arrest Algerian wanted for alleged IS ties

Police in Milan said on Thursday they had arrested a 37-year-old Algerian man in the subway, later discovering he was wanted for alleged ties to Islamic State.

Italian police arrest Algerian wanted for alleged IS ties

When stopped by police officers for a routine check, the man became “particularly aggressive”, said police in Milan, who added the arrest took place “in recent days”.

He was “repeatedly shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ while attempting to grab from his backpack an object that turned out to be a knife with a blade more than 12cm (nearly five inches) long,” they said in a statement.

The man was later found to be wanted by authorities in Algeria, suspected since 2015 of belonging to “Islamic State militias and employed in the Syrian-Iraqi theatre of war,” police said.

Police said the suspect was unknown to Italian authorities.

The man is currently in Milan’s San Vittore prison and awaiting extradition, they added.

Jihadist group IS proclaimed a “caliphate” in 2014 across swathes of Syria and Iraq, launching a reign of terror that continues with hit-and-run attacks and ambushes.

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