A 16‑year‑old boy suspected of planning a terrorist attack in the city of Le Mans will appear before the Paris juvenile court on Tuesday and Wednesday. The French teenager of Chechen origin is charged with “criminal association with a view to preparing a terrorist act” for events alleged to have taken place in Coulaines and Le Mans (Sarthe) between January and November 2024.
Arrested on 5 November 2024, the teenager was formally charged and placed in pre‑trial detention. According to information revealed by Le Figaro shortly after a search of his home, he is suspected of having contacted a gun shop in Le Mans in an attempt to obtain firearms. Investigators also believe he viewed numerous Islamic State (IS) propaganda videos, including material on how to manufacture explosives, and carried out online searches relating to the location of the city’s synagogue.
“Numerous elements in the case file lead magistrates from the National Anti‑Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) to suspect that this teenager was first indoctrinated by an Islamist movement and then developed the intention to carry out an attack in Le Mans,” confirmed the local radio station Ici Maine.
