A 17-year-old minor, arrested Thursday in Malakoff (Hauts-de-Seine), will be presented to an investigating judge on Saturday with a view to possible indictment in the investigation into the sending of threats to educational establishments , the Paris prosecutor announced on Friday.
The prosecution requested the detention of the young man, “in school” and without “criminal history of the same nature”, indicated Laure Beccuau, specifying that “his computer equipment (had) been seized and will be used by the investigation services ". The minor was arrested Thursday morning by police officers from the Central Anti-Cybercrime Office (Ofac) of the judicial police and placed in police custody.
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A judicial investigation was opened on Friday for breaches of an automated personal data system implemented by the State committed by an organized gang, threat of death materialized in writing, image or other object, disclosure of false information in order to believing in dangerous destruction, identity theft, advocating terrorism by means of an online public communication service and refusing to hand over the access codes of his phone to the judicial authorities, it is detailed in the press release.
Dozens of high schools and colleges across France have recently been the subject of threats of attacks via digital workspace messaging (ENT). This Friday, a 16-year-old teenager was placed in police custody in Bordeaux, while another 15-year-old was placed under judicial supervision after recognizing four false bomb threats targeting two colleges in Mulhouse this week.
Suspension of ENTs
On Wednesday March 27, around twenty Parisian middle and high schools were targeted, forcing the police to investigate. In total, 323 threats were recorded in 44 departments and 20 academies, the Ministry of Education said. More than 150 establishments are concerned. Since the middle of last week, more than 150 establishments located in twenty academies in total have been targeted, according to the ministry.
The suspension of ENT was announced Thursday evening by the Minister of Education Nicole Belloubet. Traveling to Bordeaux on Friday, she also announced the creation at the start of the next school year of a national “mobile school force” which could be sent to schools in the event of “difficulties”.
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The section for combating cybercrime of the Paris public prosecutor's office (J3) has opened three procedures "concerning cyberattacks to the detriment of Ile-de-France high schools, Ile-de-France colleges and other establishments throughout the territory", recalled in its press release Laure Beccuau.
“The Paris public prosecutor's office is now centralizing attacks of the same nature in recent days to the detriment of all ENTs, for which the territorially competent public prosecutor's offices are invited to divest themselves,” noted the prosecutor. “The first elements of the investigation having allowed cross-checking, the three cases are now joined and entrusted to Ofac,” she clarified.