Daesh Planned to Assassinate Emmanuel Macron: Report

It is a link in a series of positions and steps that the French president intends to adopt in the context of his quest to draw a bloc of right-wing supporters to his side, after securing the backing of the largest bloc from the center and the remnants of the left that Macron favors.

In this context, the French foreign intelligence has a file that is “interesting and informative media-wise” which can be marketed in the context of polishing Macron’s image as someone “who defies difficulties” for the interest of his country. It is related to a plot prepared by Daesh to assassinate the French president during his second visit to Beirut in September 2020, after the port explosion.

Al-Akhbar reviewed papers from the investigations related to the Kaftoun Al-Kourania town crime [August 2020], which are far from the official judicial file. These include information indicating that groups from the Daesh organization were planning to assassinate Macron and other Lebanese figures, including Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Gebran Bassil.

The signal – or the shock – that was not addressed is in the summary of the investigations concluded by the Army Intelligence Directorate regarding the “Kaftoun cell”. Al-Akhbar obtained a copy of it, and it refers to instructions received by the groups to carry out a suicide attack targeting French President Emmanuel Macron during his second visit to Lebanon on September 1, 2020.

According to the information, the signal that could summarize everything and the entire scheme that the cell intended to implement was found on the computer of the network emir, Muhammad al-Hajjar. It was in the form of an encrypted message within a series of conversations with an operator in Syria that read: “a target proposal”.

And it is stated in the signal that the Information Branch concluded that the implementation of a “possible” assassination plot of Macron will take place in one of the Christian neighborhoods affected by the August 4, 2020 explosion or in the port of Beirut.

In this context, it can be noted that the leaks that preceded Macron's visit confirmed the hypothesis that he would make a second visit to the affected neighborhoods in the capital [such as Gemmayzeh]. However, for some reason, the visit was canceled without any justification being given.

The members of the group informed the external operator of the possibility of Hariri's presence next to Macron, and the answer was: Kill Saad too.

A senior security official revealed to Al-Akhbar that the technically monitored data indicated that a quick discussion took place between members of the group and an external operator about the possible presence of Prime Minister Saad Hariri alongside the French President during his tour, and the operator's answer was: "Kill Saad too."

It became clear through the analysis of the intelligence unit’s data that among the network's goals was liquidation and assassination operations for a list that includes leaders and officials from the March 8 cap. According to Al-Akhbar’s information, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gibran Bassil, put forward a hypothesis that could materialize based on Al-Hajjar’s hostile motives towards the “Christians.” According to the investigations, he “did not hide his ambition to take revenge on them or to strike them.”