Mom of Paris Suicide Bomber Speaks Out
The mother of Paris suicide bomber Ibrahim Abdeslam — one of three Belgian brothers who are suspects in the attacks — is speaking out, saying she believed he “did not mean to kill anyone.”
Abdeslam, 31, seriously injured a bystander but did not in fact kill anyone, other than himself, when he detonated his suicide vest outside the Comptoir Voltaire café on Friday night, near the Bataclan concert hall. His brother Mohamed was arrested and released after questioning on Sunday in Brussels, and a third sibling, Salah, still at large, is the subject of an international arrest warrant.
The wanted notice for Salah Abdeslam. (Nolice Nationale)
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The Abdeslam family, speaking to the Belgian website Het Laatste Nieuws, said they were “surprised” that Ibrahim, who had spent “a long time” in Syria, blew himself up. His mother, Faklan, speaking to a reporter through her nephew (Ibrahim’s cousin) at the family home in Molenbeek, Brussels, said she was sure he hadn’t planned on causing any deaths, noting, “The fact that his bomb belt exploded without killing anyone else says a lot.“
Parisians observed a minute of silence near the scene of attacks recently. (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Another family member, unidentified in press reports, added, "Maybe the explosives went off prematurely by accident. Maybe it was stress. We even saw him two days before the attacks. There were no signs that they had plans to do anything violent.”
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He continued, "We were really surprised that Salah was involved. Ibrahim was different. We did see that he had been radicalized, at least in part. But not so much that we ever thought he would commit an atrocity like this.”
Ibrahim reportedly rented the car used in the attacks, which was later found abandoned and stocked with weapons.
Mohamed spoke later, saying, "My family and I had no idea that they were in Paris. My parents are truly shocked. It was terrible for them. I have never had any problems with the justice system. I just want to be left in peace. I have been interrogated and cleared by the police. Everyone here knows what I am capable of and what I am not capable of.”
Of his brothers, he explained, “We don’t know what has happened to Ibrahim and Salah. I did not know that they had been radicalized. I found out about it on the TV like everyone else. I am thinking of the victims.”
Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, Mohamed said, “I think that people do not quite understand what we have been through. But my brother who has participated in this terrorist attack was probably psychologically ready to commit such an act. These are not regular people. You cannot have the slightest doubt that they have been prepared, that they must not leave any trace which would cause suspicion that they might do such things. And even if you saw them every day, their behavior was quite normal.”
Top photo of vigil in Paris: Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images
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