Frenchman linked to Paris attackers, Fritz-Joly Joachin

On New Years Day 29 year old Fritz-Joly Joachin, a Frenchman linked to Paris attackers the Kouachi brothers, was arrested in Bulgaria when he tried to cross the border into Turkey. Joachin is a convert to Islam, and he is a French citizen with Haitian ancestry. According to French prosecutor Darina Slavova Joachin “was in contact several times with one of the two brothers — Cherif Kouachi.” The contacts all occurred before Fritz-Joly departed from France on December 30, a week before the attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices by the Kouachi brothers. During a remand hearing after Fritz-Joly Joachin was taken into custody the 29 year old told court officials that he was with Kouachi but that “he cannot be held responsible for their actions.”

The Frenchman linked to Paris attackers who was arrested in Bulgaria was initially taken into police custody after Fritz-Joly Joachin’s wife made allegations that he had kidnapped their 3 year old son. A second arrest warrant was issued by a Paris court and delivered to Bulgarian prosecutors, and according to Slavova “The charges are for participation in an organized crime group whose aim was the organization of terrorist acts.” Joachin’s wife told police that he became a Muslim convert 15 years before, and that two years ago he had turned radical. According to the wife Fritz-Joly wanted to take their 3 year old son to Syria so the child could be educated in a community of jihadists. The investigation into the activities and connections of Fritz-Joly Joachin is still ongoing.