On 4 September 2016, a car containing seven
canisters of gas and pages with
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
writing was found parked near
Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
.
Attempt
The car that was meant to be detonated was a grey
Peugeot 607
The Peugeot 607 is an executive car produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot from September 1999 to June 2010.
The 607, along with the smaller 407, were superseded by the 508 in March 2011.
History
The 607 was launched in October 1999, to r ...
with its
license plates
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identificat ...
removed. It was packed with several gas canisters full of
diesel fuel
Diesel fuel , also called diesel oil, is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a result of compression of the inlet air and ...
, some of which was used to douse the inside of the car. A lit cigarette was used in an attempt to initiate the explosion, however the fuel did not ignite and the perpetrators left the scene.
Arrests
"Information we were able to get from our
intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be des ...
services allowed us to act before it was too late," said
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
François Hollande.
Inès Madani, accused of leading the bomb attempt, posed as a man under the name "Abu Omar" on social media to recruit
jihadi
Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...
s to join her in attacking Notre Dame, and successfully recruited Ornella Gilligmann, a mother of three. According to Gilligmann, she then stopped hearing from "Abu Omar", but was contacted by Madani.
Police also arrested Amel Sakaou, 39, and Sarah Hervouët, 23. All three women were armed with knives. During the arrest, Hervouët, who was "completely veiled", stabbed a policeman. Hervouët converted to Islam a few months before traveling towards Syria in 2015, and was betrothed to Adel Kermiche, one of the terrorists of the
Normandy church attack. One of the arrested women was alleged to have had a letter professing allegiance to the Islamic State. Two men said to be connected with ISIL propagandist Rachid Kassim were also arrested in connection with the plot.
Trial
The trial of five accused women commenced in Paris, in September 2019. The accused women were Inès Madani, Ornella Gilligmann, Sarah Hervouët, Amel Sakaou and Samia Chalel, between the ages 22 and 42 all
converts to Islam
The following is a list of people who converted to Islam from a different religion or no religion. This article addresses only past professions of faith by the individuals listed, and is not intended to address ethnic, cultural, or other cons ...
. On 15 October 2019, Madani was given a 30-year prison sentence, Gilligmann a 25-year prison sentence, Hervouët and Sakaou were given 20 years each, while Chalel received five years for helping Madani hide after the failed attack. The
Frenchman
The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France.
The French people, especially th ...
Rachid Kassim, thought to have been killed in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
in 2017, was sentenced to
life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
''in absentia''.
See also
*
Islamist plots to attack the Vatican Islamist plots to attack the Vatican refers to two alleged terrorist plans to attack the Vatican, neither of which were carried out.
Alleged 2010 plan
The 2010 plan was allegedly to attack the Vatican with a bomb. It was uncovered after the arre ...
*
Strasbourg Cathedral bombing plot
*
2017 St. Petersburg raid
*
2016 Normandy church attack
On 26 July 2016, two Islamist terrorists attacked participants in a Mass at a Catholic church in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy, northern France. Wielding knives and wearing fake explosive belts, the men took six people captive and later ...
References
{{Notre-Dame de Paris
2016 in Christianity
2016 in Paris
2010s crimes in Paris
2010s trials
Failed terrorist attempts in France
Islamic terrorism in Paris
Islamic terrorist incidents in 2016
Bombing attempt
September 2016 crimes in Europe
September 2016 events in France
Terrorist incidents in France in 2016
Trials in France