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Assault on a taxi driver in Sarthe: the worrying profile of a radicalised person
Assault on a taxi driver in Sarthe: the worrying profile of a radicalised person
(France 2)
On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, a man took a taxi driver hostage in Sarthe. He was arrested on the night of Thursday to Friday, and placed in police custody for attempted terrorist assassination. Derek R. is known for his pro-jihadist radicalization.
He confirmed all the fears he had inspired since his release from prison at the end of June. Derek R., a radicalized man, is in police custody for attempted terrorist assassination on the evening of Friday, July 19. The man was arrested during the night of Thursday to Friday in a district of Poissy (Yvelines), by the anti-terrorist sub-directorate. This is the end of a run that began Tuesday evening in Le Mans (Sarthe) for Derek R. While he was staying with his mother, he called a taxi. Once on board, he threatened the driver and forced him to go to La Ferté-Bernard (Sarthe).
During the journey, Derek R. allegedly made pro-Hamas remarks, then, in an isolated location, he tied up the driver and tried to slit his throat with a butcher’s knife. But the driver managed to escape and alert the police. Aged 26, the attacker is known for his pro-jihadist radicalization. He had just been released from prison for theft and violence, and had been followed by the intelligence services since his incarceration at the Condé-sur-Sarthe prison (Orne). Derek R. and seven of his relatives are currently in police custody.
