Exclusive to Al-Bawaba News: The French police arrested “far-right” cell
Paris: June 26, 2018, The French counterterrorism
services in cooperation with the General Intelligence Directorate detained ten
people linked to the extreme Far-right on Sunday for suspected planning to
carry out attacks.
The secret cell aimed to target the Islamic
communities in the country and carrying out hostile and reprisal operations
against mosques, a statement of the French Council of Islamic Religion, and “Media Part” website reported.
The French General Directorate of Intelligence
(DGSI) carried out the arrests, as part of an open judicial investigation,
since June 14, by the counterterrorism department of the Paris prosecutor’s
office, the website said.
The ten people were arrested in different areas of France, two of them arrested in Corsica while others were detained on the
outskirts of Paris, and the rest in Gironde, Charente-Maritime and other areas.
Among the suspects arrested a senior state official
and a former policeman, the media reported.
Explosives factory:
According to Media Part, one of the suspects built
an explosives manufacturing laboratory at his home. They are part of a secret cell
linked to the far-right, and it is a group called the Operations Force (AFO),
which aims to retaliate against Muslims to avenge attacks that Committed by
jihadists in France in recent years.
The suspects, aged 32-69, were planning to carry out
attacks against Muslim communities in several parts of France, where some
sources said that the group was targeting carrying out “terrorist operations”
against strongholds of radical Islam in various parts of the country.
It is worth mentioning that the AFO is an
underground extremist group that has not been active for a long time. The media
website revealed that one of the persons was trained by a 65-year-old retired
police officer living in the Charente-Maritime area. The group always targets the
fundamentalist and sheikhs as well as the women who wear the headscarf.
Firearms:
According to the French press, “Many firearms were found
during the operation and traces of bombs and explosives were found and the plan
of the potential attack is still unclear”.
The DGSI in France revealed that these persons were
planning to commit acts of violence against targets; they believed have links with
radical Islam. A security source said that the authorities confiscated weapons
during the operation.
Panic and anxiety:
In a press statement, the French Council of the
Islamic religion expressed its concern and panic after the disclosure of
criminal schemes that these persons would have carried out against mosques and
Muslim citizens. The French police succeeded in thwarting their plan.
Securing worshippers
The Council recommended all Muslims and societies to take vigilant care and cautiousness against all such criminal plots with all their negative and malicious effects.
