Six far-right activists appear in Paris for illegal arms and terrorist threats
A former police officer and a neo-Nazi soldier are among six defendants tried over two weeks in Paris for having established an arms supply network with violent aims.
Six far-right activists appear in Paris for illegal arms and terrorist threats
The Paris magistrates' court will examine from 23 June the case of six individuals linked to the radical identitarian movement. Among them are a retired former public security officer and a French army infantryman. The proceedings will last approximately two weeks.
The investigation operation began in the Var, where investigators apprehended the retired civil servant. At his home, searches revealed an impressive collection of sixty pieces of light and heavy artillery: automatic pistols, Kalashnikov-type assault rifles, explosive projectiles and large-calibre ammunition. Police also seized neo-Nazi propaganda material: a sculpture of the Führer, a framed image of Marshal Pétain, multiple copies of the founding book of national socialism and correspondence signed by former Waffen-SS combat veterans. When questioned, the sixty-year-old downplayed these discoveries by evoking a "historical passion" and described his hateful tirades as "jests".
This former civil servant had entered the arms trade after leaving active service. Over a period of seven months, he sold military equipment worth fifteen thousand euros to a young soldier whom he regarded as his "perfect son-in-law". The latter, an admirer of Third Reich symbolism, also stored weapons at his home and in his barracks, notably a sawed-off rifle and explosive devices.
The network aimed to distribute this military material among survivalist and identitarian circles. On an encrypted messaging platform of the Telegram type, participants openly discussed projects for violent actions targeting Muslims, members of the Jewish community, left-wing voters and anti-racist activists.
The national counter-terrorism prosecutor ordered six defendants to be referred to the magistrates' court on 11 February. A teenager, a minor at the time of the offences, was already sentenced in May to three and a half years' imprisonment, notably for having participated in a criminal association of a terrorist nature.
Source: France Info
Source: France Info