Clément Baur, who went unnoticed by the police for years thanks to his language skills and underground life, is accused of planning a terrorist attack in Marseille in April 2017 together with Mahiedine Merabet, who was detected by the intelligence services at the last moment. The trial of the suspected jihadists begins on Thursday in Paris.
A few days before the first round of the 2017 presidential elections, in which Emmanuel Macron was expected to win, the duo of suspected jihadists identified Marine Le Pen’s meeting in Marseille Cathedral on April 19 as a potential target to achieve a “coup d’éclat” and avenge “the children of Syria” who had died under the bombardments of the international coalition, of which France is also a member. They also did research in bars and a gay sauna in the town of Phokéenne. According to the indictment, Clément Baur and Mahiedine Merabet appeared ready to carry out a bloodbath, which the two people involved have since denied.
However, in their flat they stored a submachine gun, handguns, a cache of ammunition and, most importantly, an impressive amount (3.5 kg) of ready-to-use TATP, a powerful explosive used by the suicide bombers in the attacks in Paris and Brussels in 2015 and 2016. Apart from the material issues, the speech also shows a terrible determination. On April 12, Merabet sent a bellicose message to the Islamic State via the encrypted messenger Telegram. It promised that an “operation” would take place “soon”. (…) Le Parisien
https://www.fdesouche.com/2023/01/04/attentat-islamiste-dejoue-marseille-un-meeting-fn-etait-vise/