In 2008, six comrades were arrested and charged with preparation of terrorist acts, possession or manufacture of explosive or incendiary devices, and arson or attempted arson — including an attempted arson of an electrical cabinet in 2006 and an attempted arson of a police tow truck in 2007[1]. This operation was documented by comrades in a series of zines entitled “Mauvaises intentions”.
After a trial in 2012, five comrades were sentenced to between one and three years in prison[2].
Techniques used
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Network mapping | To prove that the accused comrades knew each other and were therefore likely accomplices, the investigators used several clues[1]:
| |
| Service provider collaboration | The collaboration of mobile network operators was used to link phone numbers to civil identities, to know which phone numbers were in contact with each other, to geolocate phones (both retrospectively and in real time) and to record phone calls[1]. | |
| Forensics | ||
| DNA | During police custody, DNA was collected from the comrades' clothing and from plastic cups[1]. In one case, only nine hours elapsed between the collection of a DNA trace in custody and the result of its comparison with another trace collected earlier. The charges against a comrade were based on a match between his DNA and DNA collected at the scene of the attempted arson of the electrical cabinet. DNA traces were collected both from a latex glove found nearby and from a bottle inside the cabinet — which did not catch fire because of a failed delay. The charges against other comrades were based on a match between their DNA and DNA collected from a cigarette used as a delay for an incendiary device — the delay failed and the device was found intact under the police tow truck. | |
| Physical surveillance | ||
| Overt | During a demonstration, the investigators took 180 photographs from which they obtained 200 portraits of the demonstrators, including ten people they were able to identify[1]. | |