2 brothers jailed in France over ISIS-linked antisemitic plot

Two brothers have been jailed in France after prosecutors said they were preparing a deadly and antisemitic ISIS-inspired terror attack, according to officials.

The suspects, ages 20 and 22, were arrested Tuesday in a parked car near a prison in Longuenesse, in northern France, according to Le Monde, citing prosecutors. Police found a loaded semi-automatic handgun with 9 mm ammunition, a bottle of hydrochloric acid, aluminum and an ISIS flag inside the car.

French anti-terrorism prosecutors said the brothers admitted in custody that they had spent recent weeks developing a terror plot in France after concluding they could not leave to wage jihad in Syria or Palestine. Prosecutors said they were seeking “martyrdom.”

Le Monde reported that prosecutors described the alleged plot as “deadly and antisemitic.” The two brothers, who are Italian and Moroccan nationals, arrived in France with their parents in 2017 after spending several years in Italy.

Prosecutors said the brothers had been consuming large amounts of jihadist propaganda for months, while evidence from seized devices and statements from relatives pointed to radicalization over the last two years.

Investigators also found a March 7 video in which one of the brothers, identified as Moad H., pledged allegiance to ISIS, according to Le Monde. Prosecutors said he had also been in contact with several radicalized individuals or people who had been charged or convicted in terrorism cases.

Other photos and videos showed the brothers posing with firearms or displaying a knife while dressed in combat-style clothing in front of an ISIS flag.

Prosecutors also pointed to encrypted messages exchanged in the days and weeks before the arrests, including efforts to obtain handguns or assault rifles. The messages suggested the brothers were nearing a violent attack.

Officials did not say what specific site or target they were allegedly planning to attack.