WASHINGTON — The suspected mastermind of the Paris attacks that killed 129 and wounded more than 350 on Friday is notorious in the jihadist community and was known to U.S. authorities as early as January of this year.
“Allah chose me, Abuz-Zubayr al-Baljīkī (Khālid), and Abū Khālid al-Baljīkī (Sufyān), to travel to Europe in order to terrorize the crusaders waging war against the Muslims,” said Abdelhamid Abaaoud in a February 2015 interview in Dabiq, an English-language magazine published by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Abaaoud is believed to have recruited fighters for ISIL and has been tied to multiple terrorist plots in Europe. He has bragged about eluding authorities and is currently believed to be in Syria, where he continues to plan new attacks.
Also known as Abou Omar al-Baljiki, Abaaoud, 27, is a Belgian national of Moroccan descent who allegedly joined ISIL in 2013. He grew up in Molenbeek, a neighborhood in Brussels that has long concerned police because of the high volume of terrorist activity there in recent years.
And since Sunday, Molenbeek has been the scene of more than 200 police sweeps and raids in an effort to find those connected to the Paris attacks.
A U.S. Homeland Security bulletin dated May 13, 2015 indicates authorities here knew who Abaaoud was, and were concerned about a multinational group of terrorists working across borders to pull off a spectacular attack in Europe.
After allegedly planning several operations and recruiting numerous operatives, Abaaoud and two other jihadists from Belgium planned to kill police officers in January — in Verviers, Belgium. But the plot was foiled when police found out and swooped in on their hideaway.
His two accomplices were killed, but Abaaoud escaped and fled back to Syria.
The U.S. bulletin said the “DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis assesses that the plot disrupted by Belgian authorities in January 2015 is the first instance in which a large group of terrorists possibly operating under ISIL direction has been discovered and may indicate the group has developed the capability to launch more complex operations in the West.”
U.S. officials tell WTOP the bulletin in hindsight produces a chilling sensation because it warned about “complex, centrally planned plotting in Belgium” as well as “more-simplistic attacks by ISIL-inspired or directed individuals, which could occur with little to no warning.”
The U.S. bulletin from May also warned that the threat from ISIL plots “involving multiple operatives may grow, but are more likely to occur in Europe — where several recruitment networks have been disrupted, and several returning fighters have already demonstrated the ability to conduct attacks.”
Western intelligence agencies have expressed deep concern about the varied tactics used by terrorists under Abaaoud’s purview.
“The sheer variance in his approach presents a real challenge to intelligence and law enforcement officials,” said Shawn Turner, former director of public affairs for U.S. National Intelligence in an interview with WTOP.
“What’s interesting about Baljiki is that he is taking a primitive approach to launching complex attacks. He’s using minimal and novel communications strategies and as opposed to planning a singular large-scale attack targeting the masses, he’s focused on launching multiple smaller attacks carried out simultaneously using suicide bombers and automatic weapons,” Turner said.
Western intelligence sources say the group may have developed multiple plots in Paris, several of which they may be waiting to launch. Abaaoud, said to be close to ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is believed to be guiding the planning from Syria.
