A Ukrainian-Russian man detained in France was charged on Friday, June 7, with plotting to commit a violent act in a “terrorist” plot, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office said. The man had arrived in France several days ago, the prosecutors said.
France’s domestic intelligence agency this week detained the man, aged 26, on suspicion of planning a violent act after he injured himself in an explosion. The investigation will continue to identify other people “who may be involved,” the prosecutors said.
The suspect was charged with participation in a “terrorist conspiracy” and possession of a substance or explosives with a view to harming people, the prosecutors said.
On Friday the injured man appeared before a judge, who was to decide whether to remand him in custody. The man was treated by a fire brigade on Monday evening after “he suffered serious burns following an explosion,” the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) said. “Products and materials intended to manufacture explosive devices” were found in his hotel room, the PNAT said.
After receiving medical treatment, he was taken into custody. According to two sources close to the case who spoke to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the man stayed at a hotel in the town of Roissy-en-France, home to the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
He was charged as France was hosting US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky following commemorations on Thursday of the 80th anniversary of D-Day landings in Normandy.