“Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said authorities had opened a murder investigation, for the moment ruling out a terrorism inquiry.”
“Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said on France Info today that Paris prosecutors have decided to open a murder probe over the events ‘which are not falling under terrorism at this stage of the investigation’. The spokeswoman told Franceinfo radio today the possibility of a terror motive ‘has clearly not been ruled out’. She said: ‘But it is important to emphasise – you are not a terrorist because you are Muslim and converting to Islam is not an automatic sign of radicalisation. The facts need to be looked at carefully. We do not have any indication that the perpetrator was radicalised.'”
Right: you are not a terrorist because you are Muslim and converting to Islam is not an automatic sign of radicalisation. Yet there have been numerous converts to Islam who have turned to jihad violence. Here are just a few recent examples of converts to Islam engaged in jihad terror plotting:
Missouri: Muslim US Army vet targeted military bases, federal buildings, Wall Street for jihad massacres September 24, 2019
Texas: Teen converts to Islam, says he hates America and “it was Allah’s will to turn him into a killing machine” September 21, 2019
NYC ISIS sniper “lives by Sharia. He doesn’t believe he has any obligation to abide by the American legal system.” September 13, 2019
Australia: Man converts to Islam, says of Christians “I’ve bought a scimitar and intend to cut their heads off” September 5, 2019
So in this case, you are not a terrorist because you are Muslim and converting to Islam is not an automatic sign of radicalisation, but if you are a convert to Islam who takes a knife and slaughters four people, might you be a terrorist?
French interior minister Christophe Castaner said: “There were no warning signs. This man was known inside the IT department, he worked alongside his colleagues and never presented any behavioural difficulties.” “However, there were reports that Harpon had recently been called in by his boss to explain why he refused to interact with women.”
That was a warning sign. Probably his refusal to interact with women had to do with the Sharia prohibition on interaction between men and women who are not married to each other. But Castaner almost certainly doesn’t know that, and that is one aspect of the problem here.
“Muslim-convert Paris knifeman’s arrested wife says he ‘became deranged and heard voices’ the night before attack in which he slaughtered four police colleagues – as it emerges hero officer who shot him dead had only joined force a week earlier,” by Tim Stickings, Mailonline, October 4, 2019 (thanks to Mick):
The Paris knifeman claimed to have ‘heard voices’ during a deranged episode the night before he murdered four of his police colleagues, according to his wife.
Michael Harpon was shot in the head yesterday by an officer who had just joined the force, after slaughtering three men and one woman with a ceramic knife in a 30-minute frenzy at the police headquarters in Paris.
His wife Iham was arrested hours later and told police that Harpon had become ‘incoherent’ and was displaying ‘unusual and agitated behaviour’ on Wednesday night before waking ‘abruptly’ yesterday morning, BFM reported.
Police are today examining whether Harpon, described as a ‘very quiet person’ by neighbours, held a grudge against his colleagues, amid claims that he had clashed with his boss over his behaviour towards women.
Harpon, a 45-year-old computer scientist from Martinique, had converted to Islam last year but a search of his flat in a Paris suburb near the Charles de Gaulle airport last night found no initial signs of radicalisation.
Investigators are combing his seized computer equipment today for clues to his motive. AFP correspondents saw investigators – faces concealed by balaclavas – lead a hooded man and a woman from his house late last night.
Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said on France Info today that Paris prosecutors have decided to open a murder probe over the events ‘which are not falling under terrorism at this stage of the investigation’.
The spokeswoman told Franceinfo radio today the possibility of a terror motive ‘has clearly not been ruled out’.
She said: ‘But it is important to emphasise – you are not a terrorist because you are Muslim and converting to Islam is not an automatic sign of radicalisation. The facts need to be looked at carefully.
‘We do not have any indication that the perpetrator was radicalised.’
According to Le Parisien, Harpon had left no suicide note and there was no claim of allegiance to an extremist group.
His computer and telephone have been seized and will now be examined, while Harpon’s brother was also reportedly arrested.
Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said authorities had opened a murder investigation, for the moment ruling out a terrorism inquiry.
Last night anti-terror agencies were believed to be monitoring the investigation but not directly involved in it.
‘An investigation has been launched into a grudge the assailant may have held against his colleagues, but terrorism cannot be ruled out,’ a source said.
Harpon and his wife, who both had hearing difficulties, had married in 2014 and had two children.
Giving evidence with the help of a sign language interpreter, she said Harpon had ‘heard voices’ during an apparent deranged episode on Wednesday night.
Union officials yesterday described Harpon as a trusted, long-serving employee who had full security clearance and had never caused problems before.
French interior minister Christophe Castaner said the man had worked for Paris police since 2003.
‘There were no warning signs,’ Mr Castaner said. ‘This man was known inside the IT department, he worked alongside his colleagues and never presented any behavioural difficulties.’
However, there were reports that Harpon had recently been called in by his boss to explain why he refused to interact with women.
Christophe Crepin of the Police Up In Anger movement told French radio that the assailant had experienced issues with his supervisor.
‘I know there were tensions between him and his direct supervisor,’ he said. ‘I do not think this is a terrorist act.’…