Islamic State: Second French jihadist seen in video

France has confirmed that a second Frenchman features in a video showing the beheading of Syrian prisoners, and a US hostage killed by Islamic State (IS).

He has been identified by French media as Michael Dos Santos, 22, an Islamic convert from an eastern Paris suburb.

Earlier, the government identified the first French militant as Maxime Hauchard, a convert from Normandy.

About 1,000 French jihadists are thought to have gone to Syria and Iraq.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said after a security meeting in Beauvais, north of Paris, that “close to 50” French citizens had died in Syria.

“Sadly, we are not surprised to learn that French citizens or residents of France are found at the heart of these cells and taking part in this barbarity,” he added.

‘Vigilance’ call

On a visit to Australia, French President Francois Hollande told reporters in Canberra “there were two French people” in the video.

“One has been categorically identified and the other one is in the process of being identified,” he said.

An official in the Paris prosecutor’s office, Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre, said there was a “strong presumption” that it was Mr Dos Santos, from the Parisian suburb of Champigny-sur-Marne, in the video, AP news agency reports.

French broadcaster France 2 said (in French) that Mr Dos Santos had been identified by a friend, who recalled how the man had surprised his family when he suddenly converted to Islam.

Mr Hollande said officials had not established the “exact role” of the two militants.

He called for families to be given more information about the danger of jihadist websites and urged families to be “vigilant” in stopping young people from being recruited by extremists.

Earlier this week, Mr Hauchard was named by a French prosecutor as one of those leading Syrian prisoners to their execution.

BBC