French anti-terror prosecutors say two brothers are now behind bars after police found weapons, jihadist propaganda and an ISIS flag in a car parked near a prison in northern France. The suspects have been brought before an examining judge and remanded in custody as prosecutors investigate what they describe as an allegedly deadly, antisemitic plot.
According to TF1 Info, police stopped the vehicle near the Longuenesse penitentiary on March 10. Inside, officers say they found a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, a bottle of hydrochloric acid, aluminum and an Islamic State flag. The Parquet national antiterroriste (PNAT) quickly took charge of the case and opened a flagrante-delit inquiry, the outlet reports.
PNAT officials say the two men, aged 22 and 20, told investigators they had been radicalized over the past two years and had drawn up plans in recent weeks, telling police they had aspired to martyrdom. TF1 Info also reports that investigators recovered a video filmed on March 7 in which one suspect pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, and that digital files contained abundant jihadist propaganda, according to details cited by the prosecutor.
What police say they found
Officers were reportedly alerted to the parked vehicle after a drone spotted it, and they searched the car last Tuesday. Inside, they found materials that investigators say could be used in an explosive device, along with ammunition, according to Le Parisien. The paper reports that searches at the Longuenesse prison followed, with several inmates and a relative briefly detained for questioning as the inquiry widened.
Charges and detention
The national anti-terror prosecutor has opened an investigation for criminal terrorist conspiracy and unlawful weapons possession, and judges have ordered the two men held pending trial, according to The Detroit News. Prosecutors say searches of phones and encrypted messaging services are underway to determine whether others were involved and to identify possible targets.
A wider wave of attacks
The arrests land amid ongoing concern about antisemitic violence in France and across Europe after a surge in October 2023. Government figures cited in Le Monde show 1,320 antisemitic acts in 2025, about 16% fewer than in 2024 but still at what officials describe as “historically high” levels.
Across the Atlantic
The northern France case came just days before a March 12 vehicle-ramming and shooting at Temple Israel near Detroit, which U.S. authorities have described as an antisemitic attack. That incident has sharpened international attention on security at Jewish institutions, the Associated Press reported. Officials say the French probe and recent attacks abroad highlight why anti-terror units continue to maintain tight vigilance around religious sites.
What investigators say will happen next
The SDAT anti-terror unit, the DGSI domestic intelligence service and PNAT are jointly steering the investigation and are still combing through devices, records and contacts to clarify motive and any potential connections, Le Parisien reports. Prosecutors caution that the investigation remains active and that further arrests or additional judicial steps are possible as authorities work to map out the suspects’ network and intentions.
