UPDATE: North African man arrested.
On Friday morning, April 8, a police operation took place around Saint-Etienne Cathedral in Toulouse, in which explosives experts were also deployed. A person had entered the place of worship during mass and had delivered a package. The prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department is asking the population to avoid the area. According to a witness statement sourced by Valeurs actuelles, the person entered the cathedral during the 8am mass, shortly after communion. He placed a package in front of the altar, which seemed suspicious.
Initial reports mentioned an attack on a sexton. According to Valeurs actuelles, however, the sexton actually tried to arrest the fleeing suspect, but did not succeed. So there was no actual act of violence. The sexton then had the cathedral cleared, where about 40 people had gathered. The suspect, described as “looking like a delivery man” and wearing a cap and a bomber jacket, was actively sought by the authorities, in particular using CCTV images. According to La Dépêche, explosives experts discovered that the package contained a homemade explosive device that contained acid but had no detonator. The motives for the act remained unknown. The man is said to have shouted some words in the church, which, however, were not understood by those present.
The district, where among other things the prefecture is located, was cordoned off and explosives experts were deployed. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin also tweeted that it was a “police operation” and that the population would be informed about further developments.
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