APPREHENDED
- Full name: Thomas Barnouin
- Pseudonym: Abu Ahmed, Abu Omar al-Madani
- Alternatives: Thomas Abdelhakim
- Location: Syria, fmr France, fmr Egypt, fmr Saudi Arabia
- Affiliation: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [DaIISh], Artigat and Toulouse Network [FAT]
Thomas Barnouin (°1981) is a French Islamist militant from Albi. The son of two teachers, he converted to Islam in 1999 or 2000.1 Barnouin began attending prayers at a Salafi mosque in the Bellefontaine suburb of Toulouse in 2002.2 He met and quickly befriended members of the nascent Artigat and Toulouse Network [FAT; Filière d’Artigat et Toulouse], including Fabien Clain, Sabri Essid and Mohamed Megherbi.3 Barnouin was given religious instruction by Olivier Corel at his commune in the Ariège department.4 In 2003, he joined Corel in making a pilgrimage to Mecca.5 During the mid-2000s, Barnouin studied theology in Medina.6 Like other FAT members, he reportedly also attended Salafi seminaries in Egypt at one point.7
While studying in Saudi Arabia, Barnouin became a supporter of the jihadi forces active in Iraq. In 2006, he met with al-Qa’ida-associates who apparently persuaded him to join the organization’s branch in Iraq.8 Saudi security services learned of his plans, but Barnouin was able to evade arrest by returning to France in the summer of 2016.9 He subsequently traveled to Syria via Belgium and Egypt.10 In Syria, Barnouin linked up with jihadi passers and was joined by FAT associate Sabri Essid.11 Syrian security forces arrested both men during a raid on their safehouse in December 2006.12 On Feb. 13, 2007, Barnouin and his associate were expelled to France where they were arrested upon arrival.13 He was brought to trial and sentenced to five years in prison in 2009.14
Barnouin was set free in 2011 without having lost his religious fervor.15 He quickly linked up with Imad Djebali and almost a dozen other associates to rekindle the FAT’s activities.16 They rented an apartment in a suburb of Toulouse and organized fitness training and paintball sessions to learn tactical skills.17 The group was put under surveillance by French security services in the summer of 2013.18 In Februari 2014, Barnouin traveled to Syria with his wife and children to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [DaIISh; Dawlat al-Islamiya fi-Iraq wal ash-Sham].19 He is thought to have facilitated the crossing into Syria by jihadis from Europe and was known to mingle with other FAT associates in Raqqa, including Clain and Essid, although little is known about his activities during his time with the DaIISh.20 Barnouin was caught by Kurdish forces on Dec. 17, 2017.21
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