‘If there are twenty among you with determination they will vanquish two hundred; if there are a hundred then they will slaughter a thousand unbelievers, for the infidels are a people devoid of understanding.’

Nazim didn’t have as many as twenty men, let alone a hundred. But the sacrifice they’d make would bring about the slaughter of many more than a thousand unbelievers. And for that, Allah would smile upon them and take them to His bosom for all eternity.

A feeling of great peace and serenity washed over Nazim. The dull, grey morning sky was gradually brightening and a pale October sun twinkled through the clouds. Today would be a fine day to die.

He calmly told Abbud, ‘We’re not returning to Paris. Our future lies along a different path.’

Abbud looked puzzled. ‘Then where are we going, Nazim?’

‘To Jannah,’ Nazim said, with the solemn reverence that was due when speaking of the final abode of the righteous and devout. ‘But first, to this place.’ He reached across to the sat nav screen and tapped in a new destination in place of Paris. The revised route instantly showed up on the display. A completely new set of directions heading in a totally different direction. The alternative location was the city of Alençon, 189 kilometres south of the coast and 173 kilometres west of Paris.

‘What’s there?’ Abbud asked, having never even heard of it before.

‘Our destiny is there,’ Nazim replied. ‘Allah, in His infinite wisdom, intends a special new purpose for us. A short distance away from that town is a certain high-security facility. One that we are going to attack, invade and capture, and use to launch a death blow against the infidels.’

A glow of excitement came into Abbud’s eyes. The prospect of an early arrival in Paradise didn’t faze him in the least. If today was to be his last day on this earth, he welcomed his fate. ‘A military base?’

Not just Abbud. The men in the back of the crew cab were listening intently to the conversation. This was the moment they’d spent their lives dreaming of. They had utter faith in their leader and would follow him to whatever end Allah had in store.

‘Better than a military base,’ Nazim said. ‘It’s the biggest water treatment plant in Northern France and one of the largest in Europe. It pipes water to millions of homes across the region. Countless people, every minute of every day, drink that water. They cook their stinking food with it. Make their coffee with it. Brush their teeth and clean their clothes, wash themselves and bathe their infants in it. Allowing us to deliver our weapon straight into the bodies of the infidels. We’re going to poison them all.’