Homegrown suicide bomber is identified after his FINGER was found among the Bataclan concert hall carnage: Father-of-one, 29, was radicalised by Belgian hate preacher at mosque in France
- Omar Ismail Mostefai, 29, was one of the three men who blew themselves up at the Eagles of Death Metal concert
- The father-of-one was born in the Paris suburb of Courcouronnes and has eight past convictions for petty crimes
- Mostefai, who had a young daughter, said to have been radicalised by a Belgian hate preacher at mosque in France
- He was picked out as a high-priority target for radicalisation in 2010 but had 'never been implicated' in terrorist links
- Investigators are probing claim that he spent several months in Syria in late 2013 and early 2014, possibly with ISIS
- Twitter account, believed to be Mostefai's, suggests he was Barcelona fan whose favourite player was Lionel Messi
- Mostefai's father and brother were arrested last night and have been questioned alongside other family members
- See more of the latest news and updates on the Paris terrorist attacks
The digit was found among the carnage of the Bataclan concert hall, where the 29-year-old father-of-one was one of three men who blew themselves up, killing 89 men, women and children.
Mostefai, who has a large number of convictions for petty crime but not extremist activity, is said to have a young daughter - believed to be around five years old - who his former neighbours accused him of 'abandoning'. One said when they knew him he appeared a 'charming, a great guy'.
Investigators are now looking into claims that Mostefai spent several months in Syria in late 2013 and early 2014, possibly with IS terrorists. It is thought he was radicalised by a Belgian hate preacher of Moroccan descent said to have regularly preached at his mosque in Luce, south of Paris.
French officials identified Mostefai as one of the Paris terror attackers as seven people were detained in Belgium linked to the atrocities. A Twitter account, thought to belong to Mostefai, suggests he was a Barcelona fan whose favourite player was Lionel Messi.
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First suicide bomber named: French fire brigade members aid an injured individual near the Bataclan concert hall, where a finger of Jihadi suicide bomber Omar Ismaël Mostefai was found among the carnage following the horrifying terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night
Mostefai, 29, was one of three men who blew himself up at the concert hall, killing 89 men, women and children
A fireman administers first aid to one of the concert-goers caught up in the shooting inside the Bataclan concert hall
Serbian media says this is 25-year-old Ahmed Almuhamed, whose Syrian passport is pictured, who blew himself up at the Bataclan concert hall and is believed to have sneaked into France with another terrorist by posing as refugees from Syria
rSurvivors have claimed that a woman was among the group shooting randomly into the crowd at the Eagles of Death Metal gig before three blew themselves up and a fourth person was shot dead by police before they could detonate their bomb.
At least 129 people died and another 99 were injured in Paris on Friday night after eight terrorists, including one as young as 15, attacked the Stade de France, restaurants and the packed Bataclan concert hall armed with AK-47s, grenades and wearing suicide vests.
More than 350 were injured - 99 of which are in a critical condition - and 30 of the dead have not yet been identified.
Serbian media has claimed that Ahmed Almuhamed, 25, whose Syrian passport was found on the body of a suicide bomber, was also part of the eight-strong ISIS kamikaze terror squad, along with Mostefai. Almuhamed allegedly sneaked into France by posing as a refugee after being rescued from a sinking migrant boat.
Born on 21 November 1985, in the Paris suburb of Courcouronnes, a working class district in the south-west of the French capital, Mostefai's criminal record shows eight convictions for petty crimes between 2004 and 2010.
Although he had never spent any time in jail, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Mostefai had been picked out as a high-priority target for radicalisation in 2010.
But before Friday, Mostefai had 'never been implicated in an investigation or a terrorist association'.
MailOnline has learned he was born to an Algerian father and Portuguese mother in a down at heel Paris suburb.
Mostefai's father and 34-year-old brother were arrested on Saturday night and their homes were searched. They and other family members are now being questioned by police.
'It's a crazy thing, it's madness,' his brother told French news agency AFP before he was taken into custody.'Yesterday I was in Paris and I saw how this s*** went down.'
The brother, one of four boys in the family along with two sisters, turned himself in to police after learning Mostefai was involved in the attacks.
While he had cut ties with Mostefai several years ago, and knew he had been involved in petty crimes, his brother said he had never imagined his brother could be radicalised.
The last he knew, Mostefai had gone to Algeria with his family and his 'little girl', the brother said, adding: 'It's been a time since I have had any news.I called my mother, she didn't seem to know anything.'
A source close to the inquiry said Mostefai regularly attended the mosque in Luce, close to Chartres, to the southwest of Paris.
MailOnline has also learned that the mixed-race family struggled financially with only the father Mustafa Mostefai's meagre salary as a lorry driver to support them.
When Mostefai was in his teens the family moved to a small house in a sprawling social housing development on the outskirts of Chartres, a historic and picturesque town some 50 miles west of Paris.
Described as charming and well mannered, Mostefai was a regular attendant at the Anoussara mosque. However the family left the town three years ago, with his father and at least one brother returning to Paris.
Mostefai told friends he was going to live in Algeria with his newly-married wife and their baby daughter. He had appeared happily married and former friends and acquaintances today told of their shock that he could abandon his family by becoming a suicide bomber.
One friend, Hamza, told MailOnline: 'He said he loved his wife and daughter but how could he abandon them and blow himself up.
Place of worship: Mostefai is said to have regularly attended the mosque in Luce, close to Chartres, south-west of Paris, pictured today with president Abdallah Benali and vice president Karim Benay. It is here some say he was radicalised by a Belgian hate preacher
Home: A view of the house where Omar Ismael Mostefai, one of the suicide bombers who took part in the attack on the Bataclan theatre, lived two years ago
PARIS ATTACKS: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
At least 129 people are dead and another 352 injured after three teams of jihadis struck the Stade de France football stadium, a handful of bars and cafes, and then finally the Bataclan concert hall.
FIRST TWO ATTACKS: STADE DE FRANCE
- The attacks began at 8.17pm GMT at the Stade de France where the French football team was hosting Germany in an international friendly.
- The game was being watched by 80,000 spectators, among them was President Francois Hollande who had to be evacuated from the stadium.
- The first explosion, a suicide bombing, was at an entrance to the stadium. A guard said an explosives vest was found on one of the attackers as he was frisked trying to enter with a ticket. While trying to back away from security officers the militant detonated his vest. A second terrorist is believed to have blown himself up minutes later. One person was killed in the explosions.
THIRD ATTACK: LE PETIT CAMBODGE AND LE CARILLON BAR
- At 8.25pm GMT a separate team of gunmen arrived in a black Seat and attacked diners at popular Cambodian restaurant Le Petit Cambodge and Le Carillon bar in the trendy Canal Saint-Martin area of eastern Paris, killing 15.
Timeline of events: Eight bombers carried out the devastating attacks on Friday night, leaving 129 people dead and another 352 injured
FOURTH ATTACK: LA CASA NOSTRA PIZZERIA AND LA BELLE EQUIPE BAR
- The same unit then drove about 500 yards to La Casa Nostra pizzeria and opened fire on diners on the terrace of the restaurant, killing at least five people.
- From there, the militants drove around a mile south-east – apparently past the area of the Bataclan concert venue – to launch another attack, this time on La Belle Equipe bar in Rue de Charonne. At least 19 people died after the terrace was sprayed with bullets at 8.38pm GMT. The attackers then drove off.
FIFTH ATTACK: CAFÉ ‘COMPTOIR VOLTAIRE’
- Five minutes later, a separate attacker set off a suicide vest outside the outside cafe 'Comptoir Voltaire' on the Boulevard Voltaire and close to the Bataclan theatre.
SIXTH ATTACK: BATACLAN MUSIC HALL
- At 8.49pm GMT, the third group (believed to be three men and a woman) armed with AK-47s stormed the Bataclan music hall and began shooting members of the crowd. Survivors claim three blew themselves up and a fourth person was shot dead by police before they could detonate their bomb.
SEVENTH ATTACK: NEAR STADE DE FRANCE
- At around 8.50pm GMT a third blast took place near the Stade de France, this time by a McDonald’s restaurant on the fringes of the stadium. The boom caused terror among spectators who had already been attempting to flee the stadium following the first two explosions.
AFTERMATH:
On Saturday morning, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks across Paris, saying 'eight brothers wearing explosive belts and carrying assault rifles' conducted a 'blessed attack on... Crusader France'.
On Saturday afternoon, three people travelling in a grey VW Polo were arrested at the French/Belgian border when police traced the car after it was sighted outside the Bataclan theatre at the time of the attacks.
One of the Bataclan suspects was found carrying a Syrian passport under the name Ahmed Almuhamed who travelled to France as a migrant through Greece on October 3. Ferry tickets reveal he travelled with another man named as Mohammed Almuhamed.
Omar Ismaël Mostefai, 29, from Courcouronnes, Paris was also named as a Bataclan suicide bomber. The petty criminal and father-of-one was known to police as a radical and had travelled to Algeria and Syria. He was identified by the fingerprint on a severed digit found after he detonated his suicide belt. Mostefai is believed to have been radicalised by a Belgian hate preacher of Moroccan descent claimed to have regularly preached at his mosque in South West France.
Mostefai's father, a brother and other family members have been held and are being questioned.
The black Seat Leon used by the terrorists who murdered diners outside the Casa Nostra pizza restaurant and the La Belle Équipe cafe was found abandoned 20 minutes away in Montreuil with a cache of weapons inside.
Seven people were detained in Belgium linked to the atrocities - three at the border and four in Brussels. Five are from the Molenbeek area of Brussels known as a 'den of terrorists'.
French media reports suggest three of the men involved were brothers, but police have not confirmed the reports.
French police are still hunting for two gunmen on the run and an ISIS bombmaker likely to have made the suicide vests.
'I have not seen him for years but when he lived here he was really charming, a great guy.'
Neighbors described Mostefai as 'good looking'.
One said: 'He had blue eyes and light brown hair because of his mother, he was really good looking.
'They were a nice family but I haven't seen them for years.'
A Twitter account, thought to belong to Mostefai, suggests he was a Barcelona fan whose favourite player was Lionel Messi.
In one tweet, dated February 23 2012, he wrote: 'Messi received the award for best player in the world Golden Ball.'
Another reads: 'The one who surrenders himself to God and beseeches him humility, surrenders his power, and energy and knows he can't do anything without his god, knocks on the door of victory.'
He also tweeted on September 17 2012: 'Muslim and proud, but... Islam does not encourage barbarianism, nor intolerance, but today we are showing our weakness to the enemies of religion.'
Two of the suicide bombers who caused carnage in the Paris massacre are thought to have sneaked into France by posing as refugees from Syria, it was revealed Saturday.
Police said the two men, who arrived in Greece last month, were among seven attackers, one as young as 15.
Serbian media last night reported that one of the terrorists was named as Ahmed Almuhamed. The newspaper Blic said that 25-year-old Almuhamed arrived with another of the bombers in Europe on the Greek island of Leros on October 3 on his way to Paris.
Greek website Protothema have published ferry tickets showing the name of a second man, Mohammed Almuhamed, who could be a relation.
Rescue workers help a woman outside the Bataclan theatre in Paris where American band Eagles of Death Metal had been performing
Belgian authorities arrested several suspects on Saturday after a car seen near one of the murder scenes was intercepted at the border
A woman is evacuated from the scene of the massacre, where witnesses said gunmen threatened to kill anyone who moved
Belgian anti-terror police launched a series of raids after three suspects were arrested returning from France
Belgian authorities also arrested several suspects on Saturday after a car seen near one of the murder scenes was intercepted crossing the border.
Federal prosecutors in Brussels confirmed that a car with Belgian number plates had been seen close to the Bataclan theatre on Friday night, scene of the worst bloodshed.
Spokesman Jean-Pascal Thoreau confirmed that the car was a rental vehicle. He said that three people were arrested in the car.
Following the arrests, police launched several raids in the St Jans Molenbeek neighbourhood of Brussels, where several other arrests were made.
Molenbeek is home to a large community of immigrants from Morocco and Turkey.
A Belgian anti-terrorism judge took up the case because two of the people killed in Paris were Belgians, the office said in a statement.
A spokesman said: 'The investigation is opened into a charge of terrorism and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.
'Several arrests were carried out at the end of the afternoon. The operations are still underway in the Molenbeek neighbourhood.'
Officers searched the Molenbeek area of Brussels, home to a large Turkish and Moroccan community
Border checks were reintroduced last night as authorities tried to find the remainder of the terror cell
One of the terrorists left Syria and was processed on the island of Leros after crossing form Turkey on October 3 before making his way to France and the Stade de France
It has emerged that one of the terrorists arrived on the Greek Island of Leros on October 3, in a small boat among a group of 69 refugees who arrived from Turkey.
Investigators believe that the man travelled through Greece, into Macedonia before making his way northwards.
According to Greece's deputy minister in charge of police Nikos Toskas: 'The holder of the passport passed through the island of Leros on October 3, 2015, where he was identified according to EU rules.'
A Greek police source said the passport's owner was a young man who had arrived in Leros on a small vessel from Turkey with a group of 69 refugees and had his fingerprints taken by Greek officials.
Two further suspects wanted by French authorities are believed to have registered as refugees in Greece earlier this year
French authorities had asked their Greek counterparts to check a passport and fingerprints of one man and the fingerprints of another who were thought to have registered in Greece, which is the main entry point into Europe for Syrian refugees.
At least one Syrian passport was found near the body of one of the seven assailants who died in Friday night's violence.
Interpol has confirmed it has set up a 'crisis response task force' at its headquarters in southeastern France following deadly attacks in Paris.
Interpol Secretary-General Juergen Stock condemned the 'cold-blooded, cowardly attacks' that left at least 129 people dead Friday night.
A woman is comforted as she breaks down outside the Carillon cafe and the Petit Cambodge restaurant where victims were gunned down
Survivors began tending to those who had been injured during Friday's atrocity despite the fear of further terrorist attacks
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3319127/First-Jihadi-suicide-bomber-Paris-terrorist-attacks-identified-finger.html#ixzz3raQOl3tw
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