Orly Attack

In recent law enforcement news, a 39-year old, Ziyed Ben Belgacem,was shot dead at Orly airport after he attacked a solider. This case is being treated as a possible terrorism attack.
A prosecutor added that the offender had a lengthy police record, including arrests for robbery and drug-related offenses, and had served time in prison. He was known to the authorities but primarily as a criminal.
Before Belgacem was shot dead he said "I'm here to die in the name of Allah. Whatever happens, people are going to die.”


While in prison during 2011 and 2012, Mr. Belgacem was identified by intelligence officials as someone who had become radicalized. After his release, he remained on the authorities’ radar, and his house was searched in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, although no action was taken against him. The attack on Saturday before a heated election campaign.

The New York Times mentioned that any terrorist attack so close to the election, political analysts suggest, could be an opportunity by the candidates of the far right, Marine Le Pen, and the center right, François Fillon, to berate the current Socialist government and by association Emmanuel Macron, the center-left candidate, who was previously the economy minister, for failing to protect the French people.

Its particularly interesting to me what radicalization can do to one, and what lengths one will go to. I think it is sad how one is willing to die for their beliefs in all the wrong ways. However, I just wanted to share a current event that I was a bit intrigued by.