Jesse Hughes, the singer for the band whose concert came under attack during November's terrorist attacks in Paris, has apologized for suggesting venue security guards were somehow involved in the massacre.
In a Wednesday interview on the Fox Business network, the Eagles of Death Metal frontman suggested the terrorists who attacked the Bataclan concert hall on Nov. 13, killing 89 people, had inside help.
“When I first got to the venue and walked in, I walked past the dude who was supposed to be the security guard for the backstage," Hughes said. "He didn’t even look at me. I immediately went to the promoter and said, ‘Who’s that guy? I want to put another dude on,’ and he goes, ‘Well, some of the other guards aren’t here yet,’ and eventually I found out that six or so wouldn’t show up at all.”
"It seems rather obvious they had a reason not to show up," he said.
However, in a statement posted to the band's Facebook page on Friday, Hughes apologized for the remarks.
"I humbly beg forgiveness from the people of France, the staff and security of the Bataclan, my fans, family, friends and anyone else hurt or offended by the absurd accusations I made," he said.
He said the comments were "unfounded and baseless" and did not reflect the views of his bandmates.
"I've been dealing with non-stop nightmares and struggling through therapy to make sense of this tragedy and insanity," he said. "I haven't been myself since November 13."
Last month, Hughes, an NRA member, told French television that the country's gun control laws were partly to blame for the massacre. "Until nobody has guns, everybody has to have them," he said, “because I don’t want to ever see anything like this ever happen again.”
A total of 130 people were killed in the Paris attacks, which unfolded in multiple locations across the French capital.
On Dec. 7, the Eagles of Death Metal returned to Paris to play alongside U2. Last month, they played their first solo concert in the city, with Hughes saying the band had a sacred duty to return.