French Officials: Man Suspected of Plotting Violent Attack on Louvre Arrested

French sources have revealed that a man suspected of plotting a violent attack—and who had previously targeted the Louvre Museum in Paris—has been arrested.

Reuters reported on Monday (May 11) that the 27-year-old suspect planned to join the extremist group Islamic State in either Syria or Mozambique. He had attempted to carry out attacks against a museum in Paris and the Jewish community; however, the specific targets of these planned attacks have not yet been definitively identified.

The French newspaper *Le Monde* reported that the man was apprehended last Thursday (May 7) and had attempted to attack both the Louvre and the Jewish community located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.

Last October, thieves stole rare jewelry valued at $102 million from the Louvre. Following the October 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel by Hamas militants—and the subsequent launch of massive airstrikes and a ground offensive by Israel in the Gaza Strip—antisemitic incidents in France, and across Europe as a whole, have surged to historic highs.