Bataclan security 'may have been in on Paris attacks,' claims Eagles of Death Metal frontman
The frontman for the Eagles of Death Metal, the US rock band that was performing at the Bataclan Theater in Paris when 89 fans were killed in a mass shootout, suggests local security guards might have been involved in the terrorist attack.
"When I first got to the venue and walked in, I walked past the dude who was supposed to be the security guard for the backstage. He didn't even look at me. I immediately went to the promoter and said, 'Who's that guy? I want to put another dude on,' and he goes, 'Well some of the other guards aren't here yet,' and eventually I found out that six or so wouldn't show up at all," Jesse Hughes said in an interview with Fox Business Network.
When asked why he thought some of the security guards weren't there, the singer and guitarist of Eagles of Death Metal replied: "Out of respect for the police still investigating, I won't make a definite statement, but I'll say it seems rather obvious that they had a reason not to show up."
Hughes said that one of the assailants allowed three fans to leave the venue, in what he saw as further proof that the culprits had previous knowledge of what was to happen at the Bataclan.
READ MORE: Frenchman who fought in Syria identified as third Bataclan attacker
The Bataclan has rejected the claim, saying that Hughes' allegations were triggered by his trauma.
"The senseless statements of Mr. Jesse Hughes are the result of the enormous trauma," the Bataclan said in a statement, according to AFP.
"All witness accounts from the day show the professionalism and courage of the security personnel," it said, adding that "hundreds of people were most probably saved thanks to their intervention."
As the California rockers were playing in Paris on November 13, gunmen opened fire and threw grenades, killing nearly 90 people. The Bataclan was the deadliest in a series of coordinated attacks around the French capital, claimed by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). Gunmen and suicide bombers killed a total of 130 in multiple incidents, which included explosions outside the Stade de France and shootings at cafés and restaurants.
In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Hughes said last month that “the terrorists were already in the Bataclan before the concert.”
“Shawn [the sound man] and I saw two of them backstage before the show started. I don’t know how long they had been in the place, but they were definitely there when we arrived. I had noticed them because they didn’t correspond, neither their behavior nor their attire, with my idea of our audience. One of the two also looked at us in such a nasty way that Shawn and I even joked about it. But I had a strange feeling of insecurity… Obviously we told these things to the police.”
Hughes, who is a member of the National Rifle Association, earlier made waves by saying he believes that those who died in the Bataclan Theater would have survived if they’d had guns.
“Did French gun control stop a single f**king person from dying at the Bataclan?” the rocker wondered during a highly emotional interview with i-Tele. “I know people will disagree, but it seems like God made men and women and that night guns made them equal.”
