The corridors of the Paris Court of Appeal where two men suspected of links with the jihadist movement will be tried.

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V. VANTIGHEM

During his interrogation, he admitted having committed "an enormous stupidity".

This Wednesday, a student in anthropology from Douarnenez (Finistère) will appear before the special assize court in Paris for "association of criminals with a view to preparing acts of terrorism".

The 26-year-old man created a discussion group on the Telegram messaging service in July 2016.

There he relayed the propaganda of the Islamic State group, posing as a candidate for jihad or by inviting his interlocutors to go to Syria.

Arrested in September 2016 and placed in police custody, the student, without a criminal record, had been dismissed but the prosecution had appealed.

This Wednesday, he will appear with another man suspected of having wanted to carry out attacks.

This Polynesian convert to Islam is currently detained in Besançon.

When questioned, he admitted having considered attacking a police station or soldiers.

"No interest in religion"

The defendant from Brittany has meanwhile always denied the intention to take action.

An anthropology student, he wanted to conduct "an ethnography of the Islamic State and radical Islam".

According to his relatives, Erwin "had never shown any interest in religion."

It was he who contacted the Directorate General of Internal Security (DGSI) after learning that the police were inquiring about his account.

By peeling the data from his computer, the investigators discovered that the young man had inquired about the private life of several personalities, including the president of the RN Marine Le Pen or the polemicist Eric Zemmour.

He had also booked a Paris-Athens flight (not used) with the intention of going to Egypt afterwards.

The investigation also showed that the young man had personally met, in August 2016 in the Bois de Boulogne, a jihadist calling himself "Yasmine" to "evoke the preparation of an attack".

He was also in contact with Rachid Kassim, with whom he allegedly had “private conversations”.

Rachid Kassim, presumed dead today, was considered the French jihadist recruiter for Daesh.

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