French cops foil ‘Incel’ plot to carry out ‘mass killing’ during Olympic Flame parade through Bordeaux today – exactly ten years after Elliot Rodger massacre that left six dead in California

French police have thwarted a plot to carry out a ‘mass killing’ during the Olympic Flame parade in Bordeaux on Thursday. 

A 26-year old man was arrested on Tuesday in Eysines, Gironde, French publication CNEWS reported, on suspicion of planning a mass killing today.

Concerns were first raised on a report from the intelligence platform Pharos, which detected a message referring to a 2014 mass killing in the US.

The suspect, named in French media as Alex G. and born in 1998, lives in Gironde and has no criminal record, a judicial source revealed. He was said to be a sympathiser of the ‘Incel’ movement, known for its hatred of women 

On the suspect’s Facebook profile, investigators discovered a post referring to ‘Virgin Killer’ Elliot Rodger, who was responsible for the 2014 Isla Vista killings in California, exactly 10 years ago today, with the comment: ‘We miss you Elliot’.

Mayor of Saint-Emilion Bernard Lauret holds the Olympic Torch as part of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Saint-Emilion, southwestern France on Thursday

 During a search of his home, police also seized a rubber bullet revolver, several mobile phones and a computer. 

While in police custody, the man arrested  spoke of his plan to commit a mass killing. The man added that he planned for the attack to end in his suicide. 

The planned attack would have come exactly 10 years after Rodger shot six people dead and injured 14 others in Isla Vista, near the University of California in 2014, before taking his own life.   

Prior to his rampage, he had posted a chilling video warning of ‘retribution’ because he was still a virgin aged 22.

Bordeaux prosecutor Frédérique Porterie said of the arrest in France: ‘Initial investigations revealed the individual’s interest in the Incel movement.’

The suspect admitted in custody to ‘having considered an act with no specific location’ in mind, and no mention of the Olympic flame relay.

He was also described as ‘psychologically highly fragile’.

Minister of the Interior of France Gerald Darmanin praised the police officers, as well as ‘all the agents of the Ministry of the Interior’ for their commitment to stopping the violent attack. 

Pictured: Elliot Rodger killed six people on May 23, 2014 before dying in a shootout with police, in the community of Isla Vista near the University of California, Santa Barbara

‘Thanks to the police officers and, more broadly, to all the Ministry’s agents who are providing security for this popular celebration with remarkable professionalism and commitment,’ he  wrote on X.

The torch relay started in the morning and is scheduled to end around 1930 local time (1730GMT). The Olympics will be held from July 26-August 11.

Paris 2024 organisers have been gearing up for an unprecedented security operation, with an opening ceremony involving some 10,000 athletes carried along the River Seine.