The French government says it has been able to all-but confirm one of the militants appearing in the Islamic State's latest beheading video released this past weekend is a French citizen.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.
"The video was analyzed by our services. It is most probable that a French citizen participated directly in these hideous crimes. We continue our investigations but there is a strong presumption that it is Maxime Hauchard."
22 year-old Hauchard is believed to have joined the extremist group last year.
The French government is also working to try to confirm whether a second militant in the video is also a French citizen.
The video released this weekend shows the murder of American aid worker Peter Kassig.
Kassig's father says his son, who was kidnapped by the militants last year, was a strong devotee to the Islamic faith.
"Please pray for Abdul-Rahman, or Pete if that's how you know him, at sunset this evening. Pray also for all people in Syria and Iraq around the world who are held against their will."
The latest video has also shown the mass beheading of more than a dozen Syrian soldiers.
