Four men on trial charged with plotting terrorist attacks at Jewish sites in France

Four young men have been put on trial, charged with plotting terrorist attacks at Jewish sites in France. 

Prosecutors have stated that the group conspired together via a group chat titled “Operation WaffenKraft”. The Waffen-SS was the paramilitary branch of the Nazi Party.

The targets discussed on the group chat allegedly included the office of the anti-Jewish discrimination league (LICRA) and the headquarters of the Jewish council (CRIF). 

The group’s alleged leader, Alexandre Gilet, was a volunteer deputy police officer who was arrested after authorities discovered that he had ordered equipment that could be used to make explosives. Investigators reportedly found “regularly used” weapons, including two assault rifles, and lab equipment in his home.

Prosecutors also claim to have found photographs that appear to show the four suspects practising shooting in a forest in the summer of 2018.

According to a report by the French Jewish Community Security Service, antisemitic incidents in France have skyrocketed.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism in France and throughout Europe.