French police have arrested a 35-year-old officer on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack, sources told AFP late on Thursday, describing the man as a follower of "a violent radical far-right ideology." He was "apprehended on the street" on August 23 and has since been placed in detention while awaiting trial, a source close to the case told AFP.
French police officer arrested on suspicion of plotting terrorist attack, sources say
French police have arrested a 35-year-old officer on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack, sources told AFP late on Thursday, describing the man as a follower of "a violent radical far-right ideology." He was "apprehended on the street" on August 23 and has since been placed in detention while awaiting trial, a source close to the case told AFP.
A judicial source, confirming a report by the TF1/LCI broadcaster, said the man was also suspected of having manufactured weapons, among other crimes.
According to TF1/LCI, the officer "is suspected of having planned to carry out violent attacks against the interests of the state" and of having "manufactured 3D-printed weapons," among other things.
He faces charges including preparing a terrorist act, the unauthorized manufacture or trade in weapons in connection with a terrorist organization, and unauthorized weapon possession. He is also charged with incitement to terrorism through social media.
The officer's lawyers had not responded to AFP as of Thursday evening.
The arrest follows revelations that France's far-right National Rally party expelled another policeman after body cam footage of him making racist comments sparked outrage. The RN's Marine Le Pen hopes to become France's president in next year's elections, after years of seeking to make the anti-immigration party she inherited from her father more palatable to the wider public.
- The source does not name the officer or state the police unit, city, or department in which he served.
- The source does not state the specific targets or timing of the alleged planned attack.
- No official confirmation from French police or the interior ministry is cited; the account rests on sources who were not named and on the TF1/LCI report.
- The source does not state whether the officer has entered a plea or when proceedings will next be heard.
- The source does not state whether this arrest is connected to the National Rally's expulsion of another police officer.
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