Man arrested in France for allegedly planning ‘violent action’ during Olympic torch relay in Bordeaux – Firstpost

French authorities, fearing an attack, arrested and charged a 26-year-old man before the Olympic torch relay in Bordeaux on Thursday, officials said. “An individual preparing a violent act during the Olympic torch relay in Bordeaux was questioned,” Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on X, the former Twitter.

An investigation into the individual, identified as Alex G., was opened after alerts on France’s online extremism monitoring body detected messages referencing a 2014 massacre in California.

The 26-year-old man, arrested on Tuesday, was presented before an investigating judge on Thursday. He was charged with criminal conspiracy but was released before trial, while being placed under judicial supervision.

Prosecutors – who had requested that the man be detained – said they would appeal the decision.

The Olympic flame passed through the south-west city as part of a national tour ahead of the Olympic Games which open on July 26. Bordeaux will host several football matches in the Olympic tournament.

The entire relay is surrounded by strict security.

The prosecutor recommended detaining Alex G. after he admitted to contemplating assault, sources said.

“No reference was made to the Olympic flame,” Bordeaux prosecutor Frédérique Porterie said in a statement.

According to a law enforcement source, Alex G. shared a video clip featuring Elliot Rodger, who killed six people and himself during a rampage in California in 2014, writing, “We miss you, Elliot.”

Police seized “a revolver, a rubber bullet pistol, several cell phones and a computer” during a search of the suspect’s home in the Bordeaux suburbs.

According to the prosecutor, relatives of the suspect believe that he is “psychologically very fragile”. However, the designated psychiatrist did not reveal any particular disorder.”

Early investigations showed interest in the incel movement, an online group of women-hating men who describe themselves as “involuntarily celibate,” Porterie added.