‘MASSACRE’ PLAN
Paris killer had ISIS note, weapons stash h
The terrorist who fatally gunned down a French cop on the ChampsÉlysées in Paris left behind a note in his pocket praising ISIS — along with a cache of weapons in his car trunk, officials said Friday.
Karim Cheurfi, 39, was apparently planning an even bigger massacre, as cops discovered a pump-action shotgun and knives in his Audi following Thursday’s shooting.
Anti-terrorism officials identified the career criminal at a press conference Friday and said the note that cops found apparently fell out of his pocket after he was shot dead.
Parisian prosecutor Francois Molins said the death letter also listed the addresses of security sites.
ISIS quickly claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack — dubbing Cheurfi a “soldier of the caliphate” and even giving him the war name “Abu Yousuf the Belgian.” The moniker reportedly is derived from his apparent ties to Belgium.
ISIS has previously assigned war names to terrorists who carried out attacks in Paris and Brussels that were coordinated with commanders in Syria.
Officials said the speed of ISIS’s claim of responsibility, and the fact Cheurfi was identified, suggests he was in touch with the group and informed the jihadists of his plan in advance. Despite this, officials said Cheurfi showed no signs of radicalization before the attack.
Cheurfi was a French citizen with a lengthy criminal record, which included prison time for trying to kill another cop, The Independent newspaper reported.
Officials said Cheurfi served 11 years behind bars before being released in 2012. Months later, he was back in prison for violating parole.
Cheurfi on Thursday killed one cop and wounded two others on the Champs-Élysées.
The slain officer, who in 2015 responded to the Bataclan concert hall massacre that left 90 dead, had described his aim to defeat terrorists last year after returning to the theater to attend a Sting concert for its reopening.
“I’m happy to be here,” the cop, Xavier Jugelé, 37, told People magazine.
“Glad the Bataclan is reopening. It’s symbolic. We’re here tonight as witnesses,” he said. “Here to defend our civic values. This concert’s to celebrate life. To say no to terrorists.”