France detains two brothers over alleged antisemitic terror plot

French authorities have detained two brothers suspected of preparing a violent antisemitic attack, prompting the country’s anti-terror prosecutors to open a formal investigation into what officials described as a potentially lethal plot.

The suspects, aged 20 and 22 and reported to hold Moroccan and Italian nationality, were arrested last week during a police stop in northern France. Prosecutors said officers discovered several concerning items inside the vehicle in which the men were travelling.

According to investigators, police found a loaded semi-automatic firearm, a bottle of hydrochloric acid and a flag associated with the Islamic State group. Authorities say the combination of weapons and materials raised immediate concerns about a possible attack being planned.

French anti-terror prosecutors stated that the investigation is focused on a suspected plan targeting Jewish communities, though officials have not publicly disclosed specific details about the alleged target or location.

The brothers reportedly moved to France with their parents in 2017 after spending several years living in Italy. According to prosecutors, evidence gathered from digital devices and testimony from relatives suggests the two had become increasingly radicalised over the past two years.

Investigators said the process accelerated in recent weeks. Officials claim the men had initially considered travelling abroad to participate in jihadist conflicts in regions such as Syria or the Palestinian territories. After abandoning that idea, prosecutors say the suspects allegedly began planning an attack inside France instead.

Authorities believe the brothers had already begun taking steps to prepare what prosecutors described as a “lethal and antisemitic” operation, though further details remain under investigation.

The case comes at a time of heightened security concerns across Europe and North America, as governments monitor potential retaliatory or ideologically motivated violence linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Recent days have seen several incidents targeting Jewish institutions internationally. In the Netherlands, an explosion damaged a Jewish school in Amsterdam shortly after a suspected arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam. In Belgium, another synagogue building was damaged in a blast in the city of Liège.

In the United States, authorities in Michigan reported that a man drove a pickup truck containing fireworks and petrol into a synagogue building before dying at the scene.

Security services across multiple countries say the regional conflict has heightened the risk of attacks inspired by extremist ideologies or political grievances.

French authorities have not yet announced formal charges against the two brothers, but the investigation continues under the supervision of anti-terror prosecutors as investigators examine the seized materials and digital evidence.