Three radicalised Muslims face trial after being accused of plotting to commit a terror attack against Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) protestors in Paris in 2018.
The three men, brothers Kamel and Hilial A. and 54-year-old Islamic convert Rémi M., were first accused of plotting to carry out a terrorist attack against the Yellow Vest protests in November of 2018.
While all three are believed to be adherents of radical Islam, with the two brothers speaking of the Islamic State terror group and “taking action”, according to wiretapped phone conservations prior to their arrest, the terror plot has been denied, Le Progress reports.
According to the lawyer for 24-year-old Hilial A. Léa Dordilly, the three men were not plotting an attack on the protestors but were planning on committing a robbery during the protests. Hilial A. is said to have attempted to purchase a fake gun in Lyon.
“It was for a fake weapon. The seller became suspicious so my client gave up,” Dordilly said.
The arrest of the three men came after a text message sent by 54-year-old Rémi M. that stated “It’s going to bleed on the 17th” — the day of the first Yellow Vest demonstration.
Remi M., a former soldier, is said to have converted to Islam around 15 years ago after a long battle with alcoholism. He adheres to a strict version of the faith.
Michael Bendavid, the lawyer for the former soldier, sad the text message was not sent to either of the brothers, adding: “My client never mentioned the Islamic State. He is very religious but it ends there. At the time of the incident, he was out of work. He needed money.”
The three men, as well as a fourth man currently in prison, are accused of plotting a robbery to fund a future terror attack, and all face up to ten years in prison.
Since the start of the Yellow Vest protests in November of 2018, some extremists have attempted to hijack the movement, including far-left Antifa anarchists who called on the Yellow Vests to help them overthrow President Emmanuel Macron on May 1st — celebrated as International Workers’ Day by many committed leftists.
Another far-left anarchist is said to have spied on police during Yellow Vest demonstrations. He was arrested at the first anniversary of the protests in November of 2019.