The former ultra-right soldier Aurélien C. was sentenced to 9 years in prison for “individual terrorist enterprise” this Friday, January 28, by the Paris Criminal Court.
The 38-year-old man was accused of wanting to carry out an attack in synagogues, one of them being located right next to his home in Limoges (Haute-Vienne), reports France Bleu.
The former soldier had been spotted on the Internet. He visited white supremacist sites, and expressed his admiration for ultra-right terrorists. He was arrested in May 2020 by the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI).
During a search, the police discovered firearms and ammunition at his home, says Le Figaro. The man had already been sentenced in 2019 for threats against members of the anti-discrimination association SOS Racisme Les potes en Limousin.
Currently, nine court cases linked to the ultra-right are being studied by the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat). “We are no longer in the presence of a marginal phenomenon, but of a phenomenon which is gaining momentum”, commented Jean-François Ricard, boss of the Pnat, to AFP.