Eight far-left students indicted in Paris for testing explosives in tunnels

Eight students, aged 19 to 28, have been indicted in Paris on charges including criminal association and possession and transport of incendiary products in an organized group. The suspects, reportedly belonging to the far-left ultragauche movement, were allegedly preparing a violent action during a protest against the Lyon-Turin railway project in Italy.

Authorities became aware of the group following a police report on July 22. Law enforcement suspected the group was planning a "violent action" during a demonstration against the high-speed rail link scheduled in Italy between July 24 and 26. The eight individuals were simultaneously arrested on July 23. According to reports, authorities consider them members of "Que la fac" (QLF), an autonomous student movement.

During their interrogation, one individual reportedly denounced "persecution against our generation. We were treated like a terrorist group." The suspects, six men and two women, were already under police surveillance. They had allegedly participated in a previous "protest against the Seine-Nord canal," which involved setting brush fires and throwing pyrotechnic devices at law enforcement.

Investigators reportedly spotted the group on the Petite Ceinture, a disused railway line in Paris, where several tunnels were allegedly used as "gathering and training sites." At the location, investigators found "cable ties and empty plastic bottles," some of which had exploded, while others were attached to handkerchiefs. Initial investigations confirmed their "project to travel to Italy" and their participation in meetings described as "training" by investigators. A search also uncovered "21 mortars" of fireworks at the home of one of the indicted individuals.

On Wednesday, August 12, the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed their placement under judicial supervision, releasing them despite the prosecution's insistence on their incarceration. The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed this information to Le Figaro, which was first reported by Le Parisien.

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Persecution against our generation. We were treated like a terrorist group.