The man fled after forcing the taxi driver out of his vehicle, shackling his hands and feet, and attacking him with “a bladed weapon to the neck” on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.
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A radicalized man who attacked and kidnapped a taxi driver in Sarthe on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, July 17, was arrested, franceinfo learned from the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (Pnat) on Friday. The 26-year-old man fled after forcing the taxi driver out of his vehicle, shackling his hands and feet, and attempting to slit his throat with a “butcher’s knife”. The attacker drove off in the taxi, which was found parked in La Ferté-Bernard, the Pnat said. The man was suspected of being armed with a rifle and a pistol, but no weapons were found.
According to a source close to the investigation at franceinfo, the suspect was arrested in Poissy in Yvelines, “without incident“, shortly after midnight, with the intervention of the Raid and the BRI of the anti-terrorist sub-directorate. The arrested man was detained in the Condé-sur-Sarthe prison until June 26, where he had been taken into care for the prevention of radicalization. He had been under individual administrative control and surveillance measures (MICAS) since his release.
Two other people present at the time of his arrest were arrested and taken into custody, according to the same source. Various searches were carried out at the end of the day on Thursday and during the night from Thursday to Friday. Seven people, men and women from the entourage of the main suspect, were also taken into custody. In this case, eight people, including the suspect, are in custody in total.
The man, who has “forced the taxi driver who had just picked him up to go to an isolated place in La Ferté-Bernard“had made remarks”favorable to Hamas and its ‘Muslim brothers’‘”, the Pnat said on Thursday. The victim finally managed to escape and find refuge with a resident. The emergency services then took charge of him.
The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, which was notified of the facts on Wednesday, opened an investigation for “attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise”, “kidnapping and sequestration in connection with a terrorist enterprise”, “terrorist criminal association with a view to preparing crimes against people”.