Attack on Angoulême town hall: military fatigues, Arabic inscription, depression… The profile of the attacker raises questions

The man who allegedly tried to set fire to the Angoulême town hall was quickly contacted. Still hospitalized, his profile troubles the investigators.

This Wednesday, a man dressed in military fatigues burst into the Angoulême town hall around noon armed with a can of petrol and a chain. He allegedly started a fire in an office before one of the assistants present in the room pulled the alarm button. The individual was then quickly intercepted by a municipal police officer who, given his virulence, ended up shooting him twice.

The suspect is therefore hospitalized and has not yet been able to be heard given his condition. No other injuries are to be deplored. An investigation has been opened by the public prosecutor for “attempted aggravated homicide” and destruction of public property by dangerous means” as well as against the police officer who opened fire.

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According to the mayor of the city, to France Info, there does not appear to be any "dispute" between the arrested man and a person from the town hall and he is also not known to the municipal services. His profile was then analyzed more closely. According to Charente Libre, he is Mustapha K., a 46-year-old man born in Morocco and of Moroccan nationality French woman living in the town. He is said to have been living in France for about fifteen years. He is said to have recently gone through a difficult period following a separation. He then moved away of his entourage, falling into depression.

Elements that question

According to a neighbor, near Charente Libre , the man “wasn't his usual self” on the day of the incident.””He was “angry, he came down like a madman with two spray paint cans,” she said. He had previously been seen as someone who was rather discreet, who had never attracted attention. Jérôme Harnois, the prefect of Charente, for his part, specified to BFMTV that the suspect was unknown to the “specialized” services. He has no prior criminal or psychiatric history.

Furthermore, the police have discovered the Islamic profession of faith written on the body of his car. He also reportedly shouted “Allah U Akhbar” in the ambulance taking him to hospital. Bomb disposal experts also found about ten small gas canisters in his car. They were new but had been thrown in a heap at the back of the vehicle in the middle of a mattress, a duvet, computers, shoes… These details raise questions about the motivations of the attacker. No link has yet been established éestablished with a "terrorist enterprise".