The accused’s statements in police custody were incoherent and often irrational. Among other things, he claimed that he acted this way because he felt he was being watched by 10 to 15 people on the street when he walked to the mosque that morning. He claimed to have been harassed by the devil and “the racists” for several months. He claimed that he had not wanted to hurt anyone and was not in a position to do so as he rejected violence. He apologised for his behaviour,” the public prosecutor of Béziers, Raphaël Balland, said on Thursday.
The alcohol and drug tests were negative. The psychiatric expert who examined him on Wednesday found a paranoid personality, but concluded that there was no suspension or even impairment of judgement. The search of his house in Béziers did not reveal any evidence of religious radicalisation. The analysis of his mobile phone by the Direction territoriale de la police judiciaire (DTPJ) in Montpellier also revealed no link to a terrorist background.
[…]
The 27-year-old suspect is an Algerian national and is illegally present on national territory via a so-called administrative temporary permit (OQTF) dated August 31, 2022, which was renewed by the Prefecture of the Department of Hérault while he was in police custody. He has already been tried twice for stealing low-value clothing from shopping centres and carrying a pocket knife. The Criminal Court of Béziers sentenced him to a fine of €1500 on October 19, 2022, and to three months’ suspended imprisonment on April 4 this year. He was imprisoned until the trial. Actu.fr
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