The Eagles of Death Metal fan has hit out at frontman Jesse Hughes for saying the attacks were a 'Muslim conspiracy' Credit: PA Photos
A survivor of the terrorist attack at the Bataclan theatre has criticised The Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes for once again suggesting that the events of November 13 were part of a Muslim conspiracy.
In a recent interview with online publication Taki Magazine, Hughes claimed that members of the venue's Muslim staff were in on the attack at the concert venue that killed 89 people.
Ismael El Iraki, a French Arab who was at the concert posted an open letter to Hughes on his Facebook page saying his "comments reopened a nasty wound."
Eagles of Death Metal singer Jesse Hughes pays tribute to victims at the Bataclan concert hall days after the Paris attacks. Credit: Reuters
El Iraki's public condemnation of Hughes comes after the frontman told Taki Magazine that he'd seen terrorist suspect Salah Abdeslam in the venue prior to the attack.
In the interview, Hughes said: "There’s no denying the terrorists were already inside, and they had to get in somehow. During the shooting I went outside and the backstage door was propped open. How did that happen?"
Hughes claimed the 'conspiracy' went further than the Bataclan.
He said: "I saw Muslims celebrating in the street during the attack. I saw it with my own eyes. In real time! How did they know what was going on? There must have been coordination."
The frontman also claims that a 'Muslim' security staff member at the venue asked his girlfriend, Tuesday Cross, where she was from to determine whether she was Muslim.
He told the website: "She’s Mexican and she could easily pass for Lebanese and I think he was going to warn her if she was Muslim."
El Iraki, who says that rock 'n' roll is second only to his wife as the big love in his life, dismissed his hero's words.
"I love your music - I never thought that you would become one of those spreaders of fear," he wrote.
He wrote:
His open letter in full
This isn't the first time the American has accused Bataclan staff of being involved in the massacre. In March he apologised for earlier comments, claiming his “unfounded,” “baseless,” and “absurd accusations” were due to lingering nightmares and stress from the 13 November killings.
This apology has since been deleted from the band's Facebook page.
