Three Islamist terrorists arrested in France for plotting attacks with explosive vests
Three Islamist terrorists aged between 19 and 24 were arrested last Wednesday in Dunkirk, northern France, on charges of plotting attacks in the region, according to information released this Sunday following the filing of charges by the Paris Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office.
Two of the suspects, including the youngest, have been charged with terrorist conspiracy and possession of explosives, according to sources from the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office. The third has been charged with failing to report a terrorist crime.
The operation, launched thanks to a tip-off from a relative of the suspects, successfully thwarted a planned attack involving explosive vests.
Police officers raided the 19-year-old jihadist’s home early Wednesday morning, where they discovered a vest, firecrackers, and a handwritten note containing the bay’ah, or oath of allegiance, to the Islamic State.
The main suspect, a French national, was highly active on social media, where he expressed support for terrorism and displayed weapons. He was not listed in the FSPRT (the Prevention of Terrorist Radicalization File), though he did have a criminal record for drug-related offenses. The other two detainees are acquaintances of the main suspect—one was actively involved in the plan, while the other knew about it but failed to report it.
