A police officer in front of the Louvre Pyramid, October 19, 2025. DIMITAR DILKOFF / AFP
A terrorist attack targeting the world's most-visited museum was thwarted during a routine traffic stop in Paris after an undocumented Tunisian national was apprehended on Thursday, May 7, in the Paris region as part of a preliminary investigation for "participation in a terrorist conspiracy in preparation for crimes against persons," Le Monde has learned, confirmed by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT). Following his police custody at the offices of the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI), jointly handling the case with the anti-terrorist section of Paris's criminal brigade, the Tunisian national was brought before an anti-terrorism judge on Monday, May 11, with a view to being formally charged. The PNAT requested that he be placed in preventive detention.
The suspect was believed to have planned "an action inspired by jihadist ideology," according to the prosecution, and to have considered joining the ranks of the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria or Mozambique. According to initial findings by investigators, the man specifically mentioned his intention to target either the Louvre Museum or the Jewish community in Paris's 16th arrondissement, though no precise target had been selected.
