Radical Islamist arrested in Yvelines after two days of manhunt: attack prevented ?

The man, suspiciousé of having attacked a taxi driver in Le Mans on the night of Tuesday à Wednesday, wasé stopé Friday in Yvelines, after the intervention of the Raid and the BRI.

A two-day hunt has come to an end. An elderly man of 26 years old wasé arrested &agrav; Poissy (Yvelines) on the night of Thursday & Friday by the RAID and the Anti-Terrorist Sub-Directorate (Sdat) and is currently being heard by the latter è Levallois-Perret (Hauts-de-Seine). The suspect would have beené arrested "without incident", cites France Info, shortly after midnight following & the intervention of the Raid and the BRI.

The individual had been wanted since Tuesday night after the assault of a taxi driver in Le Mans (Sarthe). The events date back to the night of Tuesday to Wednesday and justified the opening of an investigation for “attempted murder, kidnapping and sequestration in connection with a terrorist enterprise”, but also “terrorist criminal association with a view to preparing crimes against persons”, leading to the referral to the national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office. The arrested individual is known to the police for his radicalization and is also subject to an administrative surveillance measure, reports Le Parisien.

Remarks favorable to Hamas and a violent attack

The 26-year-old man is suspected of having threatened a taxi driver with a firearm and forcing him to drive him to an isolated location in the town of La Ferte-Bernard. The suspect then allegedly forced the driver out of the vehicle and tied up his hands and feet. Wounded in the neck by a bladed weapon, the driver managed to free himself from his bonds and found refuge with local residents.

During the attack, the suspect allegedly made comments in favor of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, referring to the situation in Israel and expressing a desire to attack law enforcement. Investigators also feared that the 26-year-old man could commit an attack. The suspect's custody could last up to 96 hours due to the potentially terrorist nature of his actions. The investigations were jointly entrusted to the Anti-Terrorist Sub-Directorate (Sdat), the West Zone Judicial Police and the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI).