Le Bataclan owners have responded to Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes’ suggestion that some of the Paris venue’s security may have colluded with the terrorist attack that took the lives of 89 people at the band’s concert on Nov. 13.

In a statement to Variety, the theater's owners vehemently deny Hughes’ “grave” and “defamatory” claims:

Jesse Hughes spread some very grave and defamatory accusations against the Bataclan teams. A judicial investigation is undergoing. We wish to let justice proceed serenely. All the testimonies gathered to this day demonstrate the professionalism and courage of the security agents who were on the ground on November 13. Hundreds of people were saved thanks to (these agents’) intervention.

Hughes said he first became suspicious when “six or so” security guards didn’t show up for their concert at the Paris theater in November.

“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 told Fox News. “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.’ He said, ‘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 like they had a reason to not show up,” Hughes added.

Previously, Hughes also suggested France’s gun control laws played a role in the attack. “Maybe until nobody has guns everybody has to have them,” he said in February. “Because I don’t ever want to see anything like this ever happen again… I saw people die that maybe could have lived.”

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