France names Maxime Hauchard as Islamic State executioner

November 18, 2014

France names Maxime Hauchard as Islamic State executioner in newly released video

PARIS, Nov. 17 (UPI) — Authorities confirmed Monday that French citizen Maxime Hauchard, a 22-year-old from Normandy, is one of the militants shown in a newly released Islamic State execution video.

IS released the video Sunday showing the executions of 18 Syrian captives and American aid worker Peter Kassig, also known as Abdul-Rahman.

In the video, Hauchard is seen marching with other unmasked IS terrorists outside of a town identified as Dabeq in northern Syria. Each jihadi, clad in camouflage and black hat, escorts a Syrian captive to a death squad-style line up. Simultaneously, the jihadis — including Hauchard — undertake a graphic mass execution, depicted in slow motion shots.

French prosecutor Francois Molins confirmed the Normandy native’s identity in the video on Monday at a press conference. Hauchard was first identified in the video by French writer and journalist David Thomson, who tweeted pictures of the jihadi.

Hauchard, who changed his name to Abu Abdallah el-Faransi, has reportedly been on the French intelligence services’ radar since 2011. There is an active arrest warrant for him, issued last month.

In July, Hauchard told BFMTV in an interview that “My personal goal is martyrdom, obviously.”

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve on Sunday reported a doubling in the number of French citizens joining the Islamic State since January, which he attributed to the ability of terrorists to use the Internet to reach potential recruits in France.

It is unclear how Hauchard was radicalized.