A 23-year old gamer and self-proclaimed far-right nationalist has been arrested in France, charged with planning to assassinate newly elected President Emmanuel Macron during President Trump’s scheduled July 14 visit.
The attack was planned to go down at the Bastille Day parade in Paris, on the Champs-Elysees. Trump is set to be the guest of honor, and the visit will also commemorate the 100th anniversary of America’s entrance into World War I.
From the Washington Examiner:
According to a CNN affiliate, the 23-year-old suspect is a self-described far right nationalist. He told police he wanted to make a political statement by assassinating Macron, and also wanted to attack “blacks, Arabs, Jews and homosexuals,” according to police documents BFMTV, the CNN affiliate, saw.
Users of a video game site alerted law enforcement to the suspect, who posted on message boards that he wanted to buy a Kalashnikov-type weapon to carry out the attack.
While there’s no evidence to suggest the suspect is involved with a wider terrorist network, this isn’t his first brush with the law.
CNN has reported that he was also arrested in 2016 for “terror-related” activities.
As we’ve witnessed in recent months, where there are large crowds, those with a terrorist bent will plot mayhem.
Eighty-six people were killed in Nice, France during last year’s Bastille Day celebration, when a man deliberately plowed a truck into the crowd.
A 31-year old Tunisian man, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, was identified as the driver.
He was killed by the police. A search of the rented truck used in the attack found an automatic pistol, ammunition, and several fake guns.
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