Paris attack: What we know about Armand R., who
killed one and injured others near the Eiffel Tower
Known to authorities for his radical Islamism and
psychiatric problems, this Frenchman had already been arrested and sentenced
for a planned attack in the Paris area.
Le Monde
Published
today at 10:13 am (Paris)
Armand R.,
a young Frenchman from the Paris region, was arrested on Saturday following the
stabbing death of a German tourist in Paris and the attack on two other people
with a hammer. He was a known person to authorities for his radical Islamism
and psychiatric disorders.
What he is accused of
A German
man was killed and two other people injured in a knife and hammer attack near
the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Saturday evening. The assailant, Armand R., was
arrested shortly after the incident and taken into custody. The National
Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) has taken charge of the investigation
for murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise and
for criminal terrorist conspiracy.
"The
attack took place shortly after 9 pm between the Quai de Grenelle and
Bir-Hakeim, and the assailant attacked a tourist couple," reported
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. "The man died from the stab
wounds" and the attacker "went after the wife of this German
tourist." Her life was saved "thanks to a cab driver who saw what was
happening."
The
assailant then crossed the Bir-Hakeim bridge. Pursued by the police, he appears
to have attacked two other people, whose lives are not in danger: One is said
to have been injured by a hammer blow to the eye and another to have been
particularly "shocked," according to Darmanin's account. At the time
of the incident, shortly after 9 pm near the Bir-Hakeim bridge, Armand R.
shouted "Allah akbar!" ("God is greatest!") several times,
the minister added. The life of the suspect, who was neutralized by police
using a Taser, is not in danger.
Motivations for the attack
After his
arrest, Armand R. told police that he was "angry at what was happening in
Gaza, that France would be complicit in what Israel was doing." "He
reportedly said he was fed up with seeing Muslims dying, both in Afghanistan
and Palestine," Darmanin added.
Shortly
before Armand R.'s attack, a video claiming responsibility for his actions was
posted on social media. In the video, the assailant refers to "current
events, the government, the murder of innocent Muslims," said a security
source quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP). At this stage, investigators do
not know when the video was shot, but it was posted online
"concurrently" with the attack, according to this source.
Already imprisoned for planning an attack
Born in
France in 1997 to Iranian parents, with whom he lives in Essonne (south of
Paris), the young man has an "S" file, used by law enforcement to
flag someone considered a threat to national security. He was already
questioned by the French domestic intelligence service (DGSI) in 2016 for a
planned attack in La Défense. At the time, he was suspected of having planned a
stabbing attack in the business district west of Paris, at the instigation of a
jihadist based in Syria, Maximilien Thibault, a former member of Forsane
Alizza.
He was
sentenced to five years' imprisonment and released in 2020, after four years in
prison, said a security source quoted by AFP. He was been placed under judicial
supervision and Micas, an administrative system with measures comparable to
those of judicial supervision, aimed at preventing acts of terrorism.
Psychiatric disorders and medical treatment
Known for
his psychiatric problems and radical Islamism, he underwent psychiatric medical
treatment throughout his detention and after his release. "The first few
months were encouraging," and he seemed to have "detached himself
from religion" after his release, a security source told AFP. But this man
with a "very suggestible," "very unstable" personality was
once again causing concern since the spring-summer of 2022, according to the
same source.
Le Monde
Translation
of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may
only be liable for the French version.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário