- One of the two terrorists shot dead by Belgian police faked own death
- ISIS fighters claimed on social media Tarik Jadaoun, 24, was 'martyred'
- But weeks later he returned to Belgium and attempted terror attack
- He was shot dead with Redouane Hagaoui, 22, on Thursday in Verviers
Published:
23:53 GMT, 17 January 2015
|
Updated:
23:55 GMT, 17 January 2015
One
of the two terrorists shot dead by Belgian police last week had
apparently faked his own death in Syria, so he could return to his home
country undetected and attempt a terror attack.
In
a sign terrorists are using disinformation to confuse and distract
security forces, Islamic State fighters claimed on social media that
Tarik Jadaoun, 24, was 'martyred' just weeks before he returned to
Belgium.
He was shot dead with Redouane Hagaoui, 22, on Thursday by a commando squad in Verviers, near the German border.
+2
Tarik Jadaoun (right), 24, was 'martyred' just weeks before he returned to Belgium to take part in a terror plot
Police said the pair were just hours away from launching a sickening plot to behead a police officer.
Jadaoun and Hagaoui had apparently returned from Syria some months ago, after months training and fighting for IS.
In May, IS fighter Hicham Chaib posted a Facebook message claiming Jadaoun was 'martyred' in southern Syria.
The
post spread immediately across social media, with terrorists praising
Jadaoun as a 'martyr.' Terrorism experts believe the attempt is a
worrying trend among Western jihadis.
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Jadaoun apparently faked his own death in Syria, so he could return to his home country undetected
At
least one fighter from Britain is thought to have used a similar ruse
to return to the UK from Syria, before being arrested and charged with
terror offences.
A
security source said: 'We are always suspicious when there is a claim
on social media someone has died in Syria or Iraq. It's an easy claim to
make and we don't have the means of verifying it with checks on the
ground.'
Security
expert Professor Anthony Glees, of Buckingham University, said: 'This
shows that IS not only understands how to manipulate social media but
how important it is as a tactic of terrorism.
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