the essential
Several coffins referring to French soldiers allegedly dead in Ukraine were discovered in Paris at the foot of the Eiffel Tower on Saturday June 1. Three suspects were arrested. Who is behind this action?
The scene was shocking. Early Saturday morning, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, several coffins were discovered. Inscriptions referred to French soldiers who died during the war in Ukraine. We take stock of this matter.
What happened ?
Early in the morning, employees of the Eiffel Tower saw five coffins on the Quai Branly. They are covered with tricolor flags with the inscription: “French soldiers died in Ukraine”. They immediately alert the police. The bomb squad arrives on site, not knowing what is inside the coffins, accompanied by the police canine unit, specialized in the search for explosives. A security perimeter is set up. The coffins are open: plaster was inside.
Who placed these coffins?
Video surveillance images from the capital make it possible to clearly identify the suspects’ faces and trace the route of their van. Three suspects were arrested around 4 p.m. at the Bercy bus station from where they were preparing to take a bus towards Berlin in Germany. The driver is a Bulgarian, his two accomplices are a German and a Ukrainian. The driver arrived from Bulgaria the previous night, according to his statements.
Who is behind this action?
In his first statements, the Bulgarian driver of the van explained to the police that he had been “paid 40 euros” to place the five coffins at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. If no proof yet exists, the possibility of an action sponsored by the Russian government, to destabilize France a few days before the European elections and 1 month before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, is on everyone’s minds. It remains to be proven.
What are the legal consequences?
The three suspects were taken into custody for “premeditated violence” and an investigation was opened to determine whether “possible foreign interference” was involved. The three men were presented to an investigating judge on Sunday evening. A judicial investigation will be opened during the day this Monday. Investigations are entrusted to Paris territorial security.
Have similar cases already taken place?
It’s impossible not to think back to other cases where there are suspicions of foreign manipulation. On the night of May 13 to 14, red hands were spray painted on the Holocaust memorial in Paris. The police suspect three people who fled abroad. In October 2023, Stars of David had been tagged on several building facades in Paris. A Moldovan couple had been arrested. France attributed this action to the Russian security services (FSB). In both cases, they are “sponsors paid to destabilize and press on the divisions in French society”, estimated the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, in mid-May.
