The departure from work was launched at the beginning of 2019, when the DGSI intercepted exchanges of messages on social networks, as the story in Le Parisien indicates. Alexandre B., 39, an employee of the town hall of Paris, converted to Islam, publishes scabrous videos of Daesh, collects information to obtain weapons. The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office opens an investigation, the DGSI can carry out cyberinfiltration: it is led by an agent who calls himself “Abu Mohamed,” and presents himself as an admirer of the Islamic State. Alexandre B. integrates him into a Telegram discussion loop, in which he specifies his intentions of attack. The group members agree to meet.

However, the DGSI does not have the legal means to send its agent to the field. It is the SIAT, Interministerial Service for Technical Assistance, which is called in for reinforcement. One of his men, codenamed Khalil, calls himself Abu Bakr. He takes over from Abu Mohamed to get closer to the real jihadists. A first meeting takes place on February 26, 2019, during which he fraternizes with Alexandre B., and discovers that an action is envisaged with other “brothers.” Locations are even carried out the next day at the Aulnay-sous-Bois police station: exit doors and offices are inspected under the pretext of a complaint.

A new character, Karim B., is also introduced. Calling himself “the samurai of Allah,” the latter is described as a dangerous schizophrenic, writing notes justifying the murder of women and children. A fourth, Majid, also joins the group: an Algerian minor, already condemned for association with terrorist criminals, he lives in an educational center in Chelles in Seine-et-Marne, and convinced his educators that he is now deradicalized.

The four apprentice terrorists, including the infiltrator Abu Bakr, all meet on April 4. They are working on the modus operandi of an attack. After considering the Champs-Élysées, or the assassination of a Charlie Hebdo designer, the choice fell on the surroundings of the Élysée. “First assault to bring in the disbelieving cavalry, and second assault on this disbelieving cavalry. The plan is simple, until you fall shahid [die as a martyr]”, promises Alexandre B..

“Abou Bakr,” from SIAT, then lays his trap: he says he is taking charge of the weapons, in particular thanks to the person who introduced him, Abu Mohamed. On April 19, 2019, he recovered the funds from two of his associates, Alexandre B. and Karim B., for the acquisition of AK 47 Kalashnikov submachine guns, and went for a walk with them to the area around the presidential palace, for scouting. On the 24th, he announced that he had acquired two AK47s and stashed them in an apartment in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Two days later, Alexandre B. and Karim B. enter the premises, and come to admire the weapons, in reality neutralized. The trap has closed: a team from the DGSI is waiting for them at the bottom of the building… The young Majid, who could not free himself to come to Paris, is for his part arrested in Chelles.

In police custody, the three protagonists admitted their desire to “die a martyr,” but put their motivation into perspective. Their lawyers have also questioned the methods used by intelligence and the police, which would have led to the offense. The investigations were however validated by the justice system, which, three years after the facts, referred the defendants to the special Assize Court of Paris.