'French Muslims trained with the Taliban in Pakistan'

Pakistani officials checking whether Toulouse shooter was part of group; Report: Merah’s ‘proud’ brother helped him steal scooter

Pakistani intelligence officials on Saturday said dozens of French Muslims have been training with the Taliban in northwest Pakistan.

The officials said they were investigating whether Mohamed Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian descent suspected of killing seven people in southern France, had been part of this group.

Merah traveled to Pakistan in 2011 and said he trained with al-Qaida in Waziristan. He was killed in a gunfight with police Thursday in the French city of Toulouse.

The officials said 85 Frenchmen have been training with the Pakistani Taliban in the North Waziristan tribal area for the past three years. Most have dual nationality with France and North African countries.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised a crackdown on French citizens found to have trained in terror camps abroad.

“Anyone who goes abroad to follow ideological courses that lead to terrorism will be criminally punished. The response will be prison,” he said in a campaign speech Saturday.

A militant commander, Ahmed Marwat, claimed in a phone call with the AP on Saturday that Merah was affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban in Waziristan, but provided no details. Marwat said he was part of the Jundullah wing of the Pakistani Taliban. The claim could not be independently verified.

Meanwhile on Saturday, Ynet reported that cellular tracking technology showed the laptop computer belonging to Merah’s brother, Abdelkader, was located near the Jewish school at which the attack took place on the very same day of the attack.

Abdelkader, 29, was flown to Paris along with his girlfriend on Saturday in order to be investigated by the French authorities concerning his alleged involvement in the attack. According to an AFP report, a “proud” Abdelkader admitted he was present when his brother stole the scooter used in the attack, but did not know what it would be used for and did not assist his brother in any other way.

On Friday, Jewish graves at a cemetery in Nice were discovered to have been vandalized, according to an IBA report. However, it was difficult to establish a definitive connection between the vandalism, which may have taken place prior to the Toulouse shooting, with the attack.