On Wednesday morning, the French authorities arrested 11 people, including an assistant to a parliamentary representative from the “Intrepid France” party (the radical left), on suspicion of their involvement in the killing of an extremist right-wing activist, at a time when the headquarters of the “Intrepid France” party received a bomb threat, and both parties took advantage of the sharp polarization before the local and presidential elections.

Published on: 02/17/2026 - 22:03 Last updated: 02/18/2026 - 15:17

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The French authorities carried out a large-scale arrest operation, including 11 suspects, including an assistant to a left-wing parliamentary representative, during the night and at dawn on Wednesday, on suspicion of their involvement in the killing of a far-right activist.

Meanwhile, the headquarters of the far-left "Proud France" party in Paris received a bomb threat after the arrests were announced, forcing those present to evacuate the buildings until the police confirmed that they were completely free of explosives and secured the site.

Details of the crime and investigation

Quentin Deranque (23 years old) died on Saturday after left-wing activists beat him to death outside a conference center in Lyon where left-wing member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan, was speaking.

Video clips of the incident circulated widely on social media. Rima and other party members condemned the killing.

The Lyon Public Prosecutor's Office, which opened an investigation into the crime, said that 11 defendants had been arrested so far, including an assistant to the party's parliamentary representative, Rafael Arnault, who said yesterday, Tuesday, that the assistant had "stopped all his parliamentary work."

“Determining responsibility is now up to investigation,” Arnault added on the X platform.

Read also: France: Macron calls for calm after the death of a young man from the far right who was violently assaulted

Sharp polarization before municipal elections

The incident fueled tension between the right and the left in France ahead of the municipal elections scheduled for March and the 2027 presidential elections, which the far-right National Rally party appears closer than ever to winning.

Manuel Bombard, national coordinator of the Proud France party, told reporters today that his party bears no responsibility for Diranque's death and now feels threatened.

Jordan Bardella, head of the far-right National Rally party, accused Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the Proud France party, of "opening the doors of the National Assembly (Parliament) to those suspected of being murderers."

For his part, a source familiar with the case, who requested to remain anonymous, revealed that among those arrested was an assistant to Member of Parliament Raphael Arnault from the radical leftist “Proud France” party, to which Rima Hassan also belongs.

An anti-immigration group called Nemesis, which says it combats violence against Western women, reported that Duranke participated in the Lyon demonstration to protect its members. The group accused the anti-fascist youth organization "Young Guard" of being behind the attack, noting that Arnault had co-founded it before he was elected to a seat in Parliament.

But the "Young Guard", which was disbanded in June, denied any connection to the "tragic events", while Arnault described the attack as "horrific".

The Speaker of the National Assembly (Parliament), Yael Brown-Bevit, reported that one of Arnault's aides was banned from entering Parliament after witnesses mentioned him. Representatives observed a minute of silence on Tuesday afternoon in the National Assembly in honor of Duranke's memory, while a march is expected to take place in Lyon on Saturday for the same purpose.

While the government held the "Proud France" party and the "Young Guard" responsible for the attack, the Lyon Public Prosecutor refused to comment on these allegations, saying only that the incident was being investigated as premeditated murder and aggravated assault causing serious injuries.

France 24/AFP

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