DistantNews
Support us
🇫🇷 France /Crime & Justice

13-year-old detained overnight in northern France after TikTok terror threat posted as a joke

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency In the courts
  • Police detained a 13-year-old at his home in Masny after he posted a TikTok video suggesting an attack would take place the next day.
  • The prosecutor said the boy intended it as a joke, quickly deleted the post and did not understand its ideological implications.
  • Authorities reclassified the case as a threat against people, and summoned the previously unknown minor for a restorative measure in December.

A 13-year-old boy was detained at 3:20 a.m. at his home in Masny, near Douai, after a TikTok post appeared to threaten an imminent attack.

The boy had uploaded an AI-generated fake school timetable with the caption “tomorrow attack,” including the spelling shown in the original post. The video was reported through the Pharos platform, leading to his detention and placement in custody.

It clearly appears that he did not understand the ideological dimension.

· Frédéric FourtoyThe Douai prosecutor explained why investigators believed the boy had intended a joke rather than an ideological threat.

Douai prosecutor Frédéric Fourtoy said the boy had intended to amuse his classmates and immediately deleted the publication in the presence of investigators, his legal representative and his lawyer. “It clearly appears that he did not understand the ideological dimension” of the video, Fourtoy said.

The alleged conduct was initially treated as an apology for terrorism but was reclassified as “threats of a crime against people expressed in writing, an image or another object.” The boy, who was not previously known to the justice system, was summoned for a restorative measure on Dec. 14. The Lille education authority declined to comment.

Tomorrow attack.

· Unknown 13-year-oldThe caption appeared on the AI-generated timetable posted to TikTok.
About this summary

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog