“Poisoning halal food”, “killing 200 imams”: 16 far-right activists tried in Paris

They appear to be ordinary people: an engineer, a retired accountant, a nurse, and even a diplomat. Thirteen men and three women define themselves as patriots and share a fondness for the military. All joined the "Action des forces opérations" (AFO) group between 2017 and 2018, a "hierarchical and structured" organization planning "concrete violent actions in symbolic locations" of Islam, according to the order we have obtained.

For many, the attacks of 2015 and 2016 were the spark, the sign "that the war had begun." "The first shock was January 2015, when they shifted to the far right. Then violent radicalization took place after November 13," according to Nicolas Lebourg, a historian and specialist in the far right.

"Halal Operation"

The investigation revealed that AFO's stated objective was to "raise awareness [...] of the risk of Islamist penetration," with the aim of "restoring for our children and grandchildren the legacy built by our ancestors." "Assimilation to the Resistance, or at least to a fantasized vision, is fundamental" for them, adds Nicolas Lebourg, who studied their profiles. During their police custody, several of the defendants made reference to the Second World War, such as this woman who explained to investigators that at one point she "really believed she was part of the Resistance, like in the movies."

The group had devised a "halal operation" that involved disguising AFO women under niqabs to poison food in the halal aisles of supermarkets with cyanide or rat poison. The ultimate goal was not to kill but to poison shoppers "to discredit halal food."

To make an impression and terrorize Muslims, AFO also planned to kill "200 radicalized imams" and blow up the door of a mosque in Clichy-la-Garenne (Hauts-de-Seine). The sixteen people on trial are considered the most radical and the most involved. They are suspected of terrorist conspiracy and weapons research, with various implications.

Code name: “Richelieu”

Guy S., codenamed "Richelieu," a retired national police officer, was identified by investigators as the man behind the formation of AFO. His partner, Marie-Véronique R., was responsible for running the blog "Réveil patriote," the group's proselytizing organ. "Our client firmly denies having harbored any plans for violent action, as well as, more generally, the acts of terrorism with which he is accused," stated his lawyers, Lucile Collot and Olivia Ronen.

Another defendant in this case is Philippe C., now 61, a nighttime call center operator for a taxi company and a fan of shooting and survivalism. A "patriot," in his own words to investigators, "ready to take up arms for his threatened country," "convinced that a civil war was coming."

Firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition were found during searches, including components used in the manufacture of TATP-type explosives. Following the requisitions of the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (Pnat) in May 2023, the investigating judge downgraded the charges, initially considered criminal, resulting in a shorter sentence for the 16 defendants. "Despite the seriousness of the proposed plans," the Pnat explained that it had applied its "usual criminal policy [...] when plans for violent action are not fully finalized ."