Hassan Jandoubi
Encyclopedia
Hassan Jandoubi was a French
national (born 1 March 1966, in Toulouse
) of Tunisia
n parents, who was killed on 21 September 2001, in the AZF
chemical factory explosion in Toulouse
in south-western France. He was subsequently investigated by French anti-terrorist authorities as the prime suspect in the blast.
. He became an active member of a mosque
in the Toulouse
suburbs where he was "initiated to fundamentalism".
He was known by locals and police to be part of a gang seen celebrating the 11 September terror attacks, however at the time of his death his name did not feature on lists of fundamentalist terrorist suspects maintained by Interpol
, the French intelligence service or the counter-espionage agency DST.
Jandoubi was hired to unload ammonium nitrate at the AZF plant by a subcontractor five days before the explosion. He was already known to local police for possible Islamic fundamentalist sympathies, and was involved in several angry altercations before the blast with co-workers who were displaying the U.S.
flag in sympathy with victims of the September 11 attacks.
, a massive explosion destroyed the entire AZF facility in Toulouse, killing 29 people, injured over 3000 people and damaged 10,000 buildings, including nearby schools, hospitals, businesses and 600 homes. The explosion measured 3.5 on the Richter scale and windows were blown out over three miles away from the epicenter. 1,400 families were left homeless. The blast released an ammonia cloud that eventually settled on nearby suburbs sending many more to hospital. On the day of the blast, Jandoubi was working in hangar 10, 30 yards from hangar 221 whose stock of 200-300 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded.
for the international aid organisation Médecins du Monde
. The medical examiner noted that Jandoubi was wearing two pairs of trousers and four pairs of underpants, which reminded her "of the apparel worn by some Islamic militants going into battle or on suicide missions".
Media reports in France heavily reported the fact he was dressed in several layers of garments, and described how they were arranged "in the manner of kamikaze fundamentalists."
The chief prosecutor, Michel Breard, barred police and investigators from searching Jandoubi's apartment for five days after the explosion. When the apartment was finally entered, it was found cleaned out of his clothes, personal effects and photos. His girlfriend living in the apartment stated she had destroyed his belongings in order to better overcome the tragedy.
Ten seconds before major explosion, witnesses report many personnel electrocutions on AZF facility. Jandoubi body was found deeply burnt but not his clothes. Furthermore the colour of his eyes was blue instead of the natural black colour. An alternative hypothesis concerning Jandoubi death could be electrocution and not suicide attack. The current flowed through the body but not through the clothes and the blue colour of the eyes could be an electric cataract.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
national (born 1 March 1966, in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
) of Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
n parents, who was killed on 21 September 2001, in the AZF
AZF
AZF was the name of a chemical factory near Toulouse, France, which exploded on 21 September 2001...
chemical factory explosion in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
in south-western France. He was subsequently investigated by French anti-terrorist authorities as the prime suspect in the blast.
Early life
Jandoubi had been known to French police as the suspected ringleader of a gang trafficking stolen cars between France and GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He became an active member of a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in the Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
suburbs where he was "initiated to fundamentalism".
He was known by locals and police to be part of a gang seen celebrating the 11 September terror attacks, however at the time of his death his name did not feature on lists of fundamentalist terrorist suspects maintained by Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
, the French intelligence service or the counter-espionage agency DST.
Jandoubi was hired to unload ammonium nitrate at the AZF plant by a subcontractor five days before the explosion. He was already known to local police for possible Islamic fundamentalist sympathies, and was involved in several angry altercations before the blast with co-workers who were displaying the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
flag in sympathy with victims of the September 11 attacks.
Blast
At 10:17 on 21 September 2001, ten days after the attacks in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a massive explosion destroyed the entire AZF facility in Toulouse, killing 29 people, injured over 3000 people and damaged 10,000 buildings, including nearby schools, hospitals, businesses and 600 homes. The explosion measured 3.5 on the Richter scale and windows were blown out over three miles away from the epicenter. 1,400 families were left homeless. The blast released an ammonia cloud that eventually settled on nearby suburbs sending many more to hospital. On the day of the blast, Jandoubi was working in hangar 10, 30 yards from hangar 221 whose stock of 200-300 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded.
Investigation
French Police and investigators were initially intrigued by the fact that Jandoubi was found with a mobile phone fitted with a stolen SIM card. Media interest was further aroused by the results of his autopsy, which was carried out by a doctor who had worked in the Middle EastMiddle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
for the international aid organisation Médecins du Monde
Médecins du Monde
Médecins du Monde or Doctors of the World, is a non-governmental humanitarian aid organisation created in March 1980 by 15 French doctors, including Bernard Kouchner after he had left Médecins Sans Frontières , the aid society which he had co-founded earlier in 1971...
. The medical examiner noted that Jandoubi was wearing two pairs of trousers and four pairs of underpants, which reminded her "of the apparel worn by some Islamic militants going into battle or on suicide missions".
Media reports in France heavily reported the fact he was dressed in several layers of garments, and described how they were arranged "in the manner of kamikaze fundamentalists."
The chief prosecutor, Michel Breard, barred police and investigators from searching Jandoubi's apartment for five days after the explosion. When the apartment was finally entered, it was found cleaned out of his clothes, personal effects and photos. His girlfriend living in the apartment stated she had destroyed his belongings in order to better overcome the tragedy.
Ten seconds before major explosion, witnesses report many personnel electrocutions on AZF facility. Jandoubi body was found deeply burnt but not his clothes. Furthermore the colour of his eyes was blue instead of the natural black colour. An alternative hypothesis concerning Jandoubi death could be electrocution and not suicide attack. The current flowed through the body but not through the clothes and the blue colour of the eyes could be an electric cataract.