Suspect arrested near railway tracks says he wanted to do “street art”

The man arrested on Saturday on the railway tracks in Oissel, south of Rouen, “contested any involvement in acts of degradation against the SNCF”franceinfo learned from the Rouen public prosecutor’s office on Tuesday, July 30. The 29-year-old suspect, known to territorial intelligence for his membership in the far-left movement, explained to investigators that he had come to this place, which is closed to the public, to “create street art”added the prosecution.

This suspect, who has been pursued since his placement in police custody for “entering or circulating in a dependency of the railway line prohibited to the public” and “criminal association”, was brought before a judge of liberties and detention. The prosecution requested that he be placed under judicial supervision for “entering, circulating or parking in a part of a railway line or non-public dependencies assigned to the SNCF”. He will be tried at the Rouen court on November 28, 2024.

On Saturday, July 27, the arrest took place “following the report of a train driver who saw several individuals inside the SNCF railway lines near an electrical cabinet”. The suspects “fled as he passed”adds the Rouen prosecutor’s office. There were three of them, two managed to escape, a source close to the case told France Inter.

The railway security then alerted the police, who arrested the suspect around 6 p.m., the police source told franceinfo. The latter returned to the scene to retrieve his vehicle, inside which “various objects, including several spray paint cans, were found”.