French Court Investigates Suspects in Alleged Chemical Attack Plot

Six suspected Islamic extremists — including three members of the same family — appeared in a French courtroom yesterday and were placed under formal investigation over allegations that they were aware of plans for a biological or chemical attack, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, Jan. 12).

Placing the six under formal investigation is the first step toward charging them with “belonging to a criminal association in relation to a terrorist enterprise,” AFP reported.

French authorities have accused the suspects of knowing about and aiding a plan to launch a biological weapons attack on French soil. Police raided apartments near Paris in December 2002 and detained several people, including Menad Benchellali (see GSN, Dec. 30, 2002).

Three members of Benchellali’s family were detained last week and were placed under formal investigation yesterday, including his father — an imam from a Lyon-area mosque — his mother and his brother.

French officials said that they are suspected of buying chemicals for Menad, who then developed weapons. Investigators have not found any of the dangerous agents that were allegedly produced.

Another Benchellali brother is currently being held by the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (Agence France Presse/Yahoo!News, Jan. 13).

“It now appears a cell around the Benchellali family was trying to manufacture chemical and biological weapons for attacks around Europe, as well as to recruit future Islamist fighters,” a police source said.

The 2002 plotters were prepared to use ricin and botulinum toxins for terrorist attacks in France and possibly Britain, according to French police.

“I believe we have put out of action some very dangerous people,” said French Justice Minister Dominique Perben.

Investigators are trying to determine if there is a link between the French case and the discovery of a ricin-producing laboratory in the United Kingdom last year (see GSN, Feb. 6, 2003; Henry Samuel, London Daily Telegraph, Jan. 13).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.