Second French militant in IS video

French President Francois Hollande confirmed on Wednesday that a second French militant has been identified in the "Islamic State" (IS) execution video of Peter Kassig, who took the name Abdul-Rahman (pictured above).

Speaking in the Australian capital of Canberra, Hollande said the roles of the two Frenchmen were yet to be determined. "The judicial system will have to establish this," he said.

Hollande added that the issue of foreign fighters and how they were being "brainwashed" was a major concern.

Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre of the Paris prosecutors office said there was a "strong presumption" that the second Frenchman was 22-year-old Michael Dos Santos from Val-de-Marne in the suburbs of Paris.

Unmasked militants

On Monday French government officials identified Maxime Hauchard, also 22, from Normandy as one of the unmasked militants in the video announcing Kassig's death. Like Maxime Hauchard, he too is thought to have left France for Syria in August 2013.

The video released on Sunday purported the execution of at least 18 Syrian soldiers and 26-year-old Kassig, who had been captured last year while helping provide medical aid to Syrians. His friends say he converted to Islam in captivity and changed his first name from Peter to Abdul-Rahman.

Around 1,000 French nationals are thought to have taken part in the conflict in Syria and Iraq, where the IS terrorist group is continuing its offensive to create a self-styled Islamic caliphate.

ksb/kms (AP, AFP)