ISIS Loyalist in France Had a 'List' of People to Kill

French officials say that an ISIS-linked individual who killed a police commander and his partner with a knife had a list of individuals and celebrities targeted for attack and murder. François Molins, the Paris prosecutor, stated on June 15 that police found a list of other individuals he intended to target, including names of some police members, celebrities, rap artists, and journalists. The deadly attack on Monday in the "Mignianville" area of Paris was the first deadly attack of its kind since the November attacks that left 130 dead. The murder of a police commander in France is also the first death of a police force member since the attacks on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, a year and a half ago. This incident occurred less than two days after Omar Mateen's attack on a gay club in Orlando, Florida, which killed 49 people, and the FBI chief stated that the suspect was likely radicalized via the internet. A statement from the White House noted that "leaders of both countries (the U.S. and France) emphasized their joint efforts to destroy ISIS and deliver more blows to terrorism." Hours after the 25-year-old assailant, Laroussi Abala, was killed by police, officials identified him as having a history of connections with extremist militants. After killing the police commander, he entered the commander’s home, took Jessica Schneider, his partner, and their three-year-old child hostage. Before being killed in a police raid, he slit Mrs. Schneider's throat and appeared live on Facebook with their child, urging "jihadists" to "cause more bloodshed." According to AFP, in the video seen by the agency, Abala called on his supporters to attack police, journalists, celebrities, prison guards, and rap artists, and to "turn the Nations Cup into a graveyard." Currently, France is hosting the European Nations Cup, and security measures have been unprecedentedly heightened in the country. Previously, a senior counter-terrorism official in France stated that despite all security preparations, there are still "concerns." Patrick Calvar, head of France's General Directorate for Internal Security, also mentioned during a parliamentary Q&A that "we know ISIS is planning attacks and France is clearly targeted." 90,000 police, security forces, militants, and army soldiers are responsible for ensuring the security of the games.