An alleged woman-hater has been arrested on suspicion of plotting a violent attack on the Olympic torch relay in France.
Alexandre G., 26, is detained in the southwestern city of Bordeaux and admits to having “considered an act”.
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Law enforcement officials said they foiled a possible attack on the flame-carrying event that began this morning and is scheduled to end at 7:30 p.m. local time.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin praised police for their quick response but gave few details about the alleged plot.
Prosecutors say Alexandre G was linked to the online incel movement – made up mainly of young people who struggle to attract sexual partners.
They claimed he had written disturbing messages that “could amount to the glorification of crime” as well as making reference to a mass murder in the US.
The torch relay will take place in Bordeaux on Thursday, as part of a relay across French territory, before the start of the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26.
Numerous women, including many athletes, are involved in the procession.
An unprecedented security operation was launched to protect everyone associated with the Olympic Games, with thousands of police and gendarmes already mobilized.
Prosecutor Frédérique Porterie said a judicial investigation had been launched into the behavior of Alexandre G., who was detained in a secure police station in Bordeaux.
Alexandre G. has no criminal record, the prosecutor said, but a revolver that fires rubber pellets was seized during a search of his home, along with several cell phones and a computer.
The suspect admitted “having considered an act without a specific location” in mind, which raised fears that he was focused on the Olympic Flame relay.
He allegedly referenced notorious incel gunman Elliot Rodger, who murdered six people during a rampage in the Californian college town of Isla Vista on May 23, 2014 – exactly 10 years ago.
Earlier this year, knifeman Joel Cauchi murdered six people in a Sydney shopping center because of his hatred of women.
Cauchi, 40, stabbed five women and a man to death at the Westfield shopping center on April 13 before being shot dead by a police officer.
Commissioner Karen Webb of New South Wales Police said at the time: “It is obvious to me and it is obvious to detectives that it appears to be an area of interest that the attacker focused on women and avoided men.
“It has been reported that five of the deceased are women and the majority of hospitalized victims are also women.”
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