Two men suspected of having carried out gun and bomb attacks on Israeli and American diplomats in Paris were arrested this week. The two belong to the extreme leftwing Action Directe (Direct Action) organization which the French government banned earlier this year after suspecting it of being behind part of the anti-Semitic attacks here.
French Minister of State for Public Security, Josephy Franceschi, said here this evening: “I have personal evidence that Action Directe’s terrorist operations are part of an anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian international plan.”
The two men, Frederic Oriach, 29, and Christian Gauzens, 25, are believed to have carried out the September 17 attack against the car of an Israeli diplomat in which three people, the diplomat and two of his cousins, were seriously wounded and some 40 students at a nearby school injured by flying glass.
Police say documents hidden by the two men in a railway station locker also implicate them in an explosion in which two police bomb disposal experts were killed.
The documents also indicate that Action Directed might have been responsible for most other anti-Semitic attacks carried out in Paris in recent months. Police spokesmen said, however, that a full revelation will only be made in a few days. The organization’s official leader, Jean-Marc Rouillon, assumed responsibility for some of these attacks in a recent interview with the leftwing daily, Liberation.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
