French police detained a man suspected of setting fire to Limoges City Hall during Saturday’s protests

A 34-year-old man known to authorities for links to the far left was detained early Tuesday in the Haute-Vienne department, suspected of setting fire to Limoges City Hall during Saturday’s protests, which were called to oppose the high cost of living.

The suspect was apprehended at an isolated home in Bussière-Boffy, a locality within the municipality of Val d’Issoire, with the support of the RAID elite unit. According to police, he is listed in the “S” register and is known for acts of violence against representatives of the authorities. He was prosecuted and sentenced on appeal to one year in prison, suspended, after allegedly assaulting a police officer.

Limoges Mayor Guillaume Guérin considers him the possible “mastermind” of the operation and expects further arrests. The fire almost completely destroyed the interior of the old section of City Hall, inaugurated in 1883, while the roof and bell tower collapsed.

The investigation is being coordinated by the local judicial police. The antiterrorism sub-directorate has been notified, but the National Antiterrorist Prosecutor’s Office has not yet taken over the case and is assessing whether the attack was organized and could be classified as an act of terrorism.