French far-right group on trial for conspiracy to assassinate President Macron

(Patrai) - Members of a far-right French group are on trial for conspiracy to assassinate President Emmanuel Macron during a World War I memorial ceremony in 2018, planning terrorist attacks, and advocating for the violent overthrow of the government, Reuters reports. The group of 13 accused members of "Les Barjols" consists of 11 men and two women, aged between 26 and 66.

Acting on information obtained through wiretaps, police arrested a then 62-year-old man and three accomplices in November 2018 and found a 15 cm ceramic blade in his car near where Macron was scheduled to speak. Firearms and ammunition were later found at his home.

Several other members of the group were arrested during 2019 and 2020. The trial will last until February 3. The defendants' lawyers, in comments to French newspapers, downplayed their clients' intentions and described them as clumsy extremists without plans for action.

Prosecution documents indicate that the man arrested with the blade, along with other members, are accused of illegal arms possession, planning terrorist acts, planning attacks on members of parliament and immigrants, as well as plans to assassinate President Macron. Some of the accused are also charged with spreading "far-right ideology advocating for the overthrow of the government using violence and weapons," and some were found to have Nazi images and bomb-making manuals on their computers.

During Wednesday's hearing, one of the defendants accused of aiding in the preparation of an attack on Macron said that the man arrested with the ceramic knife did not intend to use it.