Overview

• The trial for association de malfaiteurs terroristes began June 10 in the Paris correctional court against Sibra and alleged AFO members.
• Prosecutors say the group plotted to poison halal food, attack radicalized imams and carry out racist violence against French Muslims.
• Sibra, a former gendarme, left the hard-line VPF to form AFO for more ‘action’ before asserting on June 25 that the cell only prepared evacuations from ‘risk zones.’
• Seized AFO records detail recruits’ skills in explosives and weapons handling, evidence cited by investigators against the group.
• The case highlights France’s struggle with decentralized far-right extremism after a recent wave of anti-Muslim attacks and lone-actor threats.