A Tunisian national has been arrested for planning a terror attack at the Louvre Museum or against members of the Jewish community in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, a source close to the investigation told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
A National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) source told the Post that, as part of a preliminary investigation opened on May 6, 2026, on suspicion of terrorist criminal conspiracy with the intent to commit crimes against persons, the 27-year-old was taken into police custody on May 7, 2026.
He was suspected of planning a violent attack inspired by jihadist ideology and of considering joining the ranks of the Islamic State terrorist organization in Syria or Mozambique.
At the conclusion of the custody period, the PNAT requested on May 11, 2026, the opening of a judicial investigation against him on charges of terrorist criminal conspiracy, as well as his placement in pre-trial detention.
A judicial source then told the Post that the individual has been formally placed under investigation and remanded in custody in accordance with the PNAT’s requests.
'Participation in a terrorist conspiracy'
According to reports in Le Monde, the man was living in France undocumented and was also driving with a fake license. He was held in police custody for possession of a forged administrative document and then sent to an administrative detention center, as he did not have a valid residency permit.
While in detention, police found that his cell phone revealed numerous jihadist propaganda videos and hundreds of photos of firearms and knives.
While in detention, police found that his cell phone revealed numerous jihadist propaganda videos and hundreds of photos of firearms and knives.
Police also found that he had exchanged messages via secure messaging apps with several foreign contacts, possibly linked to jihadist groups, about plans for terrorist actions.
According to Le Monde, in one conversation, he claimed to know access points that lead to the Louvre and discussed making explosives he could plant at the museum.
Additionally, the man allegedly searched via ChatGPT “how to make a bomb.”