Mehdi Nemmouche, the French-Algerian accused of killing four at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, planned a major attack at France’s Bastille Day celebration, French daily Libération said Monday. The interior ministry has denied the reports, reports FRANCE 24.
Nemmouche made more headlines recently following reports that two former hostages, Nicolas Hénin and Didier François, had identified Nemmouche as one of their captors when they were being held by jihadists in Syria.
The pair were among four French journalists, along with Pierre Torrès and Edouard Elias, who were taken hostage by Islamic State militants in June 2013. They were released on April 20 this year.
Libération, allegedly citing evidence the former hostages gave to police, said Monday that Nemmouche, 29, had revealed while in Syria that he was planning a terrorist attack in France.
However, French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve went on record at midday to say the story was “untrue”. The Paris prosecutor issued a statement on Monday saying that no information on a planned Paris attack had yet featured in the charges against Nemmouche.
But Libération stuck resolutely to its claims, insisting that the freed hostages, in an April 20 briefing with the French intelligence services, warned that their former captor – then unnamed – had threatened to attack Paris on Bastille Day on July 14.
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.