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France Charges 18-Year-Old in First Incel-Inspired Terror Case

French anti-terror prosecutors treated gender-based violence as terrorism for the first time by charging and detaining a teenage incel suspect in Saint-Étienne

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Overview

  • Timothy G. was arrested June 27 by the DGSI near a Saint-Étienne high school carrying two knives and incel paraphernalia.
  • The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office opened a formal terrorism investigation July 1 and remanded him in custody on July 2 on charges of terrorist conspiracy to prepare crimes against persons.
  • Authorities had refused to pursue cases based solely on incel affiliation until late 2023, making this prosecution a pivotal policy shift in recognizing misogynist extremism as terrorism.
  • Investigators say the 18-year-old identified himself as part of the involuntary celibate subculture and consumed misogynist videos on platforms such as TikTok.
  • His lawyer, Maria Snitsar, described him as a suffering teenager rather than a hardened extremist, underscoring concerns over the online radicalization of vulnerable youths.