A 35-year-old man was arrested Tuesday in a church in Forbach, Moselle , after repeatedly shouting "Allahu Akbar" while apparently searching for the parish priest. Police were alerted by the parents of two 14-year-old girls, students at a nearby middle school, who had witnessed the scene.
At the time of his arrest, the suspect was carrying an Opinel-type knife, but it was never brandished or used to threaten anyone, according to Sarreguemines prosecutor Olivier Glady. A small quantity of cannabis resin was also found in his possession. The man in his thirties was taken into custody for advocating terrorism, carrying a weapon, and drug use.
His religious and psychiatric profile examined
Born in 1991 in the former Yugoslavia, the man was not known to the territorial intelligence services and was not on any watch list. His criminal record includes two entries, but neither relates to terrorism or offenses against the interests of the state. The priest being sought also indicated that he did not know the suspect.
Investigators are now seeking to clarify her religious background and psychiatric state in order to understand her intentions. The mayor of Forbach, Alexandre Cassaro, praised the vigilance of the teenage girls and the swiftness of the police intervention, while also offering his support to the priests and parishioners. The incident comes just weeks before Pope Leo XIV's visit to Metz, scheduled for September 28.
