Young Neo-Nazi Suspected of Planning Violent Actions During Olympics Taken into Police Custody

“There was a desire to intervene during a stage, clearly, of the torch relay,” explained Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, on the sidelines of a trip to Paris.

A young neo-Nazi aged 20 years old was arrested on Wednesday 17 July by agents of the Anti-Terrorist Sub-Directorate of the Judicial Police (Sdat), Franceinfo learned from a source close to the case, confirming information from the newspaper The Parisian. He was planning violent actions during the Olympic Games. The National Unit for Combating Online Hate (PNLH) of the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation following reports received on the comments made by the accused on a Telegram channel.

The PNLH investigation is opened in particular for “death threat materialized in writing, image or other object, committed because of origin, race, ethnicity, nation or religion, threat of dangerous destruction for people materialized in writing, image or other object, public and direct provocation without effect to commit a crime or offense, and public provocation to hatred or violence because of origin, race, ethnicity, nation or religion”.

For its part, the national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office (Pnat) has not taken charge of the investigation, and is waiting to see whether the suspect’s plan to attack has been proven, France Télévisions learned from the Pnat. “There was a desire to intervene during a stage, clearly, of the torch relay”explained Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, on the sidelines of a trip to Paris concerning the activation of the anti-terrorist perimeter on Thursday on the occasion of the Olympic Games ceremony.

According to the first elements of the investigation, from a source close to the case to franceinfo, this man was the administrator of a channel on the social network Telegram, called “Division Aryan française”, under the pseudonym “Panzer”. His profile is unusual, since he is a former anti-fascist activist, now convinced by the theses of the ultra-right. This man was arrested by the Sdat because his messages on his Telegram channel encouraged actions during the Paris Olympic Games.

He also expressed his hatred for the Olympic Games and more particularly for the drag queen Minima Gesté who carried the Olympic flame on the 14th. July in Paris. The Paris prosecutor’s office indicates for its part that “the reported remarks, at the origin of the investigations, do not target the Olympic Games”.

“Bravo to the Interior Ministry agents who arrested an individual member of the far right, suspected of wanting to commit a violent act during the Olympic Games. We will continue a constant fight for the safety of the French people”rejoiced on X the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin.