Photo by Etienne Rouillon/VICE News
In the latest issue of its digital propaganda magazine, Dabiq, the Islamic State group has published a photo celebrating the nine militants that it says carried out the November terror attacks that left 130 dead in and around Paris.Two of the featured men are identified as Iraqi by their nicknames, Ukashah al-Iraqi and Ali al-Iraqi. It is speculated that the pair could be the two as yet unidentified suicide bombers who detonated explosive vests outside of the Stade de France stadium as a soccer game was underway with President Francois Hollande in attendance. Their full names have not been confirmed.Authorities have already identified the seven other individuals who appear in the magazine feature.Captioned "Just Terror" — a slogan that has appeared in previous propaganda mentioning the attacks — the photo montage also includes an aerial view of the French capital, a subway map that does not appear to be of the Paris metro, and faint photos of the November 13 massacre in the background.The attackers are featured on the last page of the issue, together with a warning "to those nations that wish to take heed…"
"The photos of the two individuals match those released by the police," said Wassim Nasr, a journalist for France 24 who specializes in jihadist movements.In the days following the attacks, French authorities found a fake Syrian passport at the scene of the bombing and released pictures of two men they said had entered Greece in October while posing as refugees.According to the police, the passport holder and his traveling companion had been registered on the Greek island of Leros, which remains a favored entry point for migrants wishing to reach Europe.Nasr told VICE News that is was likely that the man had stolen the passport from a dead Syrian soldier and added a photograph of himself.The two suspects were registered by Greek authorities as Ahmad al-Mohammad and Mohammad al-Mahmod — the two names that appeared on the forged passports. There is a possibility that Mohammad and Mahmod could in fact be the two men who were identified in Dabiq as Ukashah al-Iraqi and Ali al-Iraqi.Romain Caillet, a French expert on Islamist extremism, noted Tuesday that the picture of Ukusha al-Iraqi published by Dabiq bore little resemblance to the image circulated by the police.
The montage features the three gunmen who stormed the Bataclan concert hall: Frenchmen Samy Amimour (Abu Qital al-Faransi), Ismaël Omar Mostefai (Aby Rayyan al-Faransi), and Foued Mohamed-Aggad (Abu Fuad al-Faransi).Also included in the image are Abdelhamid Abaaoud (Abu Omar al-Baljiki), Chakib Akrouh (Abu Mujahid al-Baljiki) and Brahim Abdeslam (Abul-Qa Qa al-Baljiki), the three gunmen who opened fire on cafés and restaurants in the east of the city. The third Stade de France suicide bomber, Frenchman Bilal Hadfi (Dhul-Qarnyan al-Faransi), is pictured brandishing a knife."Al-Baljiki" means "the Belgian," but despite the implications of his nom de guerre, Brahim Abdeslam is in fact French, not Belgian. Nasr explained that IS handles can sometimes refer to "the place of residence" rather than origin.Brahim's brother, Salah Abdeslam, remains at large as Europe's most wanted man, and is conspicuously absent from the montage — a decision that Nasr suggested reflects the group's desire to "eulogize the martyrs" who died carrying out the attacks.In a statement released the day after the attack, IS claimed responsibility for the massacre and mentioned "eight brothers," though the attacks were in fact carried out by ten people. Nasr said that this implies that the Abdeslam brothers "were brought in at the last minute."Possible video
Aside from Brahim Abdeslam, who never traveled to Syria, all of the militants featured on the group portrait are wearing army fatigues. Some of them, including the man identified as Ukashah al-Iraqi, are also wearing a microphone."These photos were taken from [propaganda] videos," noted Nasr, adding that the group may be planning to release a video of the militants claiming the attack. The photos might also be screenshots from other propaganda videos that are not linked to the Paris attacks.France is only mentioned once in the 56-page magazine, on the last page of the issue — a significant move, according to Nasr."It's just like an advert on the last page. They appear to be treating this as though it were not that important," he remarked.He noted that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi did not refer to the attacks in his latest recorded message.The magazine also includes a statement confirming the death of Mohammed Emwazi — better known as "Jihadi John," a British jihadist linked to the beheadings of several IS captives. In his eulogy, Emwazi, who was killed in a November 2015 airstrike, is praised for giving his concubine to "an unmarried, injured brother."The issue includes coverage of the San Bernardino attacks, praising Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik for leaving behind their daughter to carry out the massacre that killed 14 people and seriously wounded another 22.Follow Pierre Longeray on Twitter: @PLongeray
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Iraqi suicide bombers among Paris attackersAttentats de — Jean-Charles Brisard (@JcBrisard)January 19, 2016
"The photos of the two individuals match those released by the police," said Wassim Nasr, a journalist for France 24 who specializes in jihadist movements.In the days following the attacks, French authorities found a fake Syrian passport at the scene of the bombing and released pictures of two men they said had entered Greece in October while posing as refugees.According to the police, the passport holder and his traveling companion had been registered on the Greek island of Leros, which remains a favored entry point for migrants wishing to reach Europe.Nasr told VICE News that is was likely that the man had stolen the passport from a dead Syrian soldier and added a photograph of himself.The two suspects were registered by Greek authorities as Ahmad al-Mohammad and Mohammad al-Mahmod — the two names that appeared on the forged passports. There is a possibility that Mohammad and Mahmod could in fact be the two men who were identified in Dabiq as Ukashah al-Iraqi and Ali al-Iraqi.
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Salah Abdeslam absent from montageEn se basant sur le seul présumé syrien restant, difficile de voir une ressemblance avec Ukasha al-Iraqi dans Dabiq — Romain Caillet (@RomainCaillet)January 19, 2016
The montage features the three gunmen who stormed the Bataclan concert hall: Frenchmen Samy Amimour (Abu Qital al-Faransi), Ismaël Omar Mostefai (Aby Rayyan al-Faransi), and Foued Mohamed-Aggad (Abu Fuad al-Faransi).Also included in the image are Abdelhamid Abaaoud (Abu Omar al-Baljiki), Chakib Akrouh (Abu Mujahid al-Baljiki) and Brahim Abdeslam (Abul-Qa Qa al-Baljiki), the three gunmen who opened fire on cafés and restaurants in the east of the city. The third Stade de France suicide bomber, Frenchman Bilal Hadfi (Dhul-Qarnyan al-Faransi), is pictured brandishing a knife."Al-Baljiki" means "the Belgian," but despite the implications of his nom de guerre, Brahim Abdeslam is in fact French, not Belgian. Nasr explained that IS handles can sometimes refer to "the place of residence" rather than origin.Brahim's brother, Salah Abdeslam, remains at large as Europe's most wanted man, and is conspicuously absent from the montage — a decision that Nasr suggested reflects the group's desire to "eulogize the martyrs" who died carrying out the attacks.
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Aside from Brahim Abdeslam, who never traveled to Syria, all of the militants featured on the group portrait are wearing army fatigues. Some of them, including the man identified as Ukashah al-Iraqi, are also wearing a microphone."These photos were taken from [propaganda] videos," noted Nasr, adding that the group may be planning to release a video of the militants claiming the attack. The photos might also be screenshots from other propaganda videos that are not linked to the Paris attacks.France is only mentioned once in the 56-page magazine, on the last page of the issue — a significant move, according to Nasr."It's just like an advert on the last page. They appear to be treating this as though it were not that important," he remarked.He noted that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi did not refer to the attacks in his latest recorded message.The magazine also includes a statement confirming the death of Mohammed Emwazi — better known as "Jihadi John," a British jihadist linked to the beheadings of several IS captives. In his eulogy, Emwazi, who was killed in a November 2015 airstrike, is praised for giving his concubine to "an unmarried, injured brother."The issue includes coverage of the San Bernardino attacks, praising Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik for leaving behind their daughter to carry out the massacre that killed 14 people and seriously wounded another 22.Follow Pierre Longeray on Twitter: @PLongeray