The short 50-second video posted on Twitter on November 15 by the far-right magazine L'Incorrect had been spotted by police officers from the 11th arrondissement police station.
We see a man, sneakers and a checkered overshirt, attacking the marks of tribute deposited in front of the Bataclan on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the attacks of November 13.
On several occasions, he takes bouquets of flowers and throws them behind a barrier.
Then he wraps around his neck a scarf that had also been left there, grabbing various other objects as he goes.
đź”´Last night, one of our journalists filmed a man throwing the bouquets of flowers and looting the rest of the tributes left at the #Bataclan.
pic.twitter.com/uBPRWSCH9i
— The Incorrect (@MagLincorrect) November 15, 2022
With this video in their pocket, the police officers of the 11th district obtain the agreement of the Paris prosecutor's office to go further and launch an investigation which involves an analysis of the video.
The idea is to isolate all the elements that can allow the identification of the man.
And despite the poor quality of the image shot at night, they manage to establish a fairly precise description, especially because he is wearing clothes that make him identifiable.
The description of the suspect is then communicated to the agents and patrols turn in the district to find him.
He explained that he had been drinking and that he meant no harm
It was Thursday, November 17, around 10 a.m., that a crew came across a man corresponding to the description, rue de la Roquette, in the same district.
He was arrested and taken into custody for the damage.
The suspect is already known for cell phone theft.
He suffers from heart problems that will require the intervention of firefighters and his hospitalization.
This does not prevent him from acknowledging the facts in front of the investigators.
Yes, that's him in those pictures.
He explained that he had drunk a little that evening and that he did not think of harm by damaging this memorial dedicated to the 90 dead of the theater.
When he left the hospital, he was picked up again, an OQTF (obligation to leave French territory) was issued to him and he was taken to the administrative detention center (CRA) in Vincennes (XIIe), where he now awaits deportation.
In 2019, the door of the Bataclan on which the street artist Banksy had paid tribute to the victims of the attacks had been stolen.
She was found a year later by the Italian police in the Abruzzo region.