Paris attacks mastermind attended French cement giant Lafarge's board meetings, says new film

By Behlul Cetinkaya

ANKARA (AA) - The mastermind of the 2015 Paris attacks attended board meetings of Lafarge, a French cement giant with links to the Daesh/ISIS terror group in Syria, the director of a tell-all documentary on the issue said.

Abdulkadir Karakelle, the executive producer and the director of The Factory, told Anadolu Agency that the documentary by TRT World examined half a million documents for two years.

The documents were obtained from sources in France, he added.

According to Karakelle, there were two main obstacles while shooting the documentary: one was the classification of the documents and the other was finding someone to talk to.

Noting that the issue has not been discussed much in France, although it was reflected in the media before, Karakelle said that on the one hand there is the nexus between the company officials and politicians, and on the other hand a company worth tens of billions of dollars.

“Therefore, if someone gives the game away,” he said, “it will spread to all sides.”

He said the press and state institutions are under pressure to prevent this from happening. “Some of the journalists we work with have been targeted by different security institutions of the French state.”

“Some people in government want everything to go all the way and everything to be revealed,” he added. “On the other side, there is a team of politicians, business people, and state officials struggling to prevent it from being revealed. These business people have organic or inorganic connections with media organizations. Therefore, the issue is never properly addressed in the French media.”

The documentary includes how Lafarge officials called and persuaded investigators after a probe was initiated in parliament, Karakelle said. As a result, the content of the report were based on what Lafarge wanted, he added.

Lafarge is a French industrial company that specializes in cement, concrete and construction aggregates. They were accused of paying almost €13 million ($13.68 million) to foreign groups, including the terrorist group ISIS/Daesh, to maintain their presence in the city of Jalabiya in northern Syria during the civil war, as well as of providing them with cement.

- Man who led Paris attacks is mercenary of French intelligence and Lafarge

Noting that the documentary also reveals "details that would cause outrage in the French public," Karakelle, said: "The man (Abu Luqman) who commissioned and directed the Bataclan attacks (2015) -- one of the biggest terrorist attacks in Europe -- is a mercenary of the French intelligence and Lafarge.”

“It's documented, the man is on the parallel board of Lafarge's factory in Syria,” he added.

On the night of Nov.13, 2015, 130 people were killed and 400 others wounded near the national football stadium, on several Parisian terraces, and at the Bataclan music venue in a series of attacks claimed by the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group.

According to Karakelle, following Daesh/ISIS taking over the area where the factory is located, the parallel board meetings held to reactivate the factory was attended by the terror group’s Raqqa and foreign intelligence and operations chief Abu Luqman, as well as Lafarge and French intelligence officials.

“Except for a report by Le Figaro, there is not a single article in the French media about Abu Luqman being the man who led the attacks in France,” he added.

Karakelle also said that state officials who turned a blind eye to Lafarge's relations with terrorist organizations in Syria continue their duties in similar or higher positions.

“Lafarge is cooperating with the people under sanction. When you do business with people who are under sanctions, banks also impose sanctions on you. But Lafarge has hundreds of millions of dollars in loans for his factory in Syria,” he added.

“Despite the fact that these loans are doing business in Syria, despite the fact that it turned out to be giving money to Daesh/ISIS, and despite the fact that the state knew about it, the person who approved the structuring is (French President Emmanuel) Macron. Because Macron was the Minister of Economy at that time,” he added.

Stating that Lafarge received financial support from the investment agency affiliated with the ministry during Macron's term, Karakelle said that as long as the state officials who turned a blind eye to these activities still continue their duties in the state, no result can be obtained from the case.

- ‘Syrian workers at factory not evacuated despite Daesh threat’

Noting that he received the documents in 2019, Karakelle said that he drew attention to the fact that despite confessions to all crimes, no action was taken.

He said the judge of the case has changed four times.

Karakelle reiterated that he had difficulty in finding people to talk to for the documentary. “No one wants to touch this issue, they cause serious damage to their reputation as soon as they touch it. Lawsuits are being filed against them.”

Stating that a sequel to the documentary is on the cards, Karakelle said: “We will follow the hearings in this judicial year. We will also follow through the eyes of the victims. There are victims here. The reason for the lawsuit is the victims, not the French state.”

“Lafarge did not evacuate the Syrian workers at the factory there, even though it was clear Daesh/ISIS was coming. These people were captured by Daesh/ISIS. Among them there are those who were killed, there are those who were tortured for ransom.”

The volunteer lawyers of these employees filed the case, he added.

Karakelle stated that he believed that despite all the documents and statements, there would be no result in the case. He also explained the irregularities in the process, starting with Lafarge's entry into Syria.

Claiming that Lafarge bought the factory from Cairo-based Orascom for an exorbitant price in 2006, Karakelle said that the company owner, who is an Egyptian businessman, and Lafarge CEO at the time were friends with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

“Sarkozy officially mediated in this deal,” he added. According to Karakelle, a financial crime worth $12 billion was committed during the sale.

“There is a serious loss in that business. In other words, a publicly traded company was blatantly damaged.”

There are speculations about Lafarge's support for the election campaigns of some politicians, Karakelle said.

"Cheating is allowed until you are caught ... When you are caught, you give your account to the international media or international institutions,” he added.

“But you can't see anything like this in France. Despite the fact that they were almost caught red-handed, and the men who hurt themselves so much turned out to be their own staff, still nothing (is happening)."

It has remained unclear when the trial would begin for the case on Lafarge's alleged link to Daesh/ISIS.

Despite the decision by a French court in September 2021 that the company should be investigated on charges of complicity in crimes against humanity -- followed by the Court of Cassation's indictment this May -- no date has been announced yet for the trial.

It has been five years since the case was filed.