Hayat Boumeddiene, the female suspect wanted for the terrorist killings in Paris, has crossed through Turkey and made it safely into Syria — and intelligence chiefs are saying she never should have escaped so easily.
Turkey Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ms. Boumeddiene — who was married to Amedy Coulibaly, the terrorist believed to have killed several at the Paris kosher deli — entered Istanbul from Madrid and then, a few days later, crossed into Syria, the Daily Mail reported.
Officials are already pointing fingers for her escape. Some say that she was able to evade capture in the Turkish capital city because French intelligence officials failed to share crucial information with their counterparts.
“She just slipped through the net,” one source said, the Daily Mail reported. “It is that simple. It should not have happened. She should have been on the radar of French intelligence, and they should have told their contacts about her movements — but they failed to do that. If the security services had done their job properly, they would never have let her leave the country. But once she left France and arrived in Turkey, she had the opportunity to go anywhere. It is unbelievable she has got away so easily.”
Meanwhile, intelligence agents think Ms. Boumeddiene may not have been the only one helping Mr. Coulibaly, who was shot and killed by Paris authorities.
“We are seeking a second possible accomplice beyond Boumeddiene,” a security official in Paris said, the Daily Mail reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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