A judicial first. Four men aged between 21 and 28 belonging to the neo-Nazi movement will be tried in June by the special assize court for minors, suspected of having prepared between 2017 and 2018 criminal terrorist projects, AFP learned Wednesday from a source close to the case, confirming information from Politis. As one of the defendants was 17 years old at the time of the events, these first four protagonists will be tried by the special juvenile assize court in Paris from 19 to 30 June. A fifth protagonist, aged 14 at the time of the facts and now 19, will be tried by the juvenile court of Paris, ruling in criminal matters.

These two criminal hearings for these men are a first in an ultra-right case, while the precedents have been judged in recent years by the criminal court. According to the indictment order seen by AFP, signed in May 2022 but revealed Wednesday by Politis, the five protagonists "adhered to the ideas conveyed by the neo-Nazi far right" and had participated in a private discussion forum called "Project WaffenKraft", created by one of the protagonists, a 17-year-old minor.

Development of terrorist projects

According to the judges, his objective was "clearly, beyond the exchanges on ideology, to prepare actions that had very quickly drifted towards the development of terrorist projects under the impetus of Alexandre Gilet", described as "more radical and more motivated", with the 17-year-old minor. Alexandre Gilet, imprisoned since December 2018, "had taken the leadership of the group and proposed various projects of attacks against personalities or communities," say the investigating magistrates.

"This case is the product of the attacks that have occurred on French soil since 2015 and the deep hatred shared by millions of French people towards an Islamist phenomenon discovered at the time and the observation of a chain failure of the State and public authorities who have not been able to accompany and anticipate these phenomena of radicalization," said his lawyer, Fanny Vial. She denounced the situation of her client, "very young man held in solitary confinement for four years and five months".

Nine ultra-right attacks foiled since 2017

The investigation began with the arrest in September 2018 of this volunteer deputy gendarme in Isère, then aged 22, after a report on an order from him of products used in the composition of explosive devices. Four other protagonists were arrested until May 2019, and placed under judicial control.

Nine attacks attributed to the ultra-right have been foiled since 2017, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin in early April. A dozen proceedings related to the ultra-right have been opened in recent years at the anti-terrorist pole in Paris. A threat "taken very seriously" and which "is growing in power", according to a Parisian anti-terrorist magistrate. Several other large-scale cases, such as that of a small group called OAS or the so-called Barjols, have been judged in recent years, but by the Paris Criminal Court.

  • Justice
  • Court
  • Child
  • Far right
  • Ultra-right
  • Racism
  • Attack
  • Terrorism