Nathan C., 22, the author of the knife attack that left one man dead and two injured in Villejuif on Friday, suffered from psychiatric illness. The anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office is seized, in the light of the latest results of the investigation, in particular into the nature of the radicalization of the assassin.
Less than two days after the violent knife attack that left one dead and two injured in Villejuif (Val-de-Marne), we know more about the chronology of the events. On Saturday evening, the anti-terrorist prosecution took over the investigation.
On Saturday, the public prosecutor of Créteil, Laure Beccuau, clarified the contours of this bloody attack after which the assailant, Nathan C., 22, was shot by police after summons.
“The violent journey of this determined man lasted approximately 1 hour,” said the Prosecutor. Friday, January 3, shortly before 2 p.m., the attacker, dressed in a blue djellaba (traditional long loose-fitting dress), accosted a first man, in the Parc des Bruyères. The latter tells him that he is a Muslim. To be sure, the assailant asked him to recite a prayer in Arabic. Satisfied, the aggressor saves his life.
A little further on, and with the cries of Allahu Akbar (Allah is great), he assaults a woman whose husband comes to her rescue. This man is stabbed “violently” in the chest. He died on the spot. His traumatized partner is injured in the neck. A few minutes later, he attacks a jogger in the back. “The assailant was determined and presented himself calmly at the sight of the police,” said the magistrate. Law enforcement opened fire to neutralize him as the man made signs that he was wearing an explosive belt around his waist.
A Koran, a Salafist work and “a testamentary letter”
In his backpack, the investigators of the judicial police find a Koran, a Salafist work and “a testamentary letter”, indicates Philippe Bugeaud, in charge of the central brigades of the judicial police. At this stage of the investigation, the investigation was still being led by the Créteil prosecution and opened for “assassination” and “attempted assassination”.
On Saturday evening, the anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office took up the investigation with regard to the latest results, notably on the nature of the radicalization of the assassin. Did this man who converted to Islam in the summer of 2017 have accomplices? Tracked for the first time at the age of 5 for psychiatric problems, he was not known to the specialized police services. Nathan C. pursued business studies and was described as “intellectually brilliant”.
His apartment, which was searched, was almost empty. Drug addiction and psychiatric problems can largely explain his actions. He was undergoing medication in May 2019, which he stopped a month later. Now the investigation should determine the process of its religious radicalization.
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