Organized crime

French intelligence agents charged with attempted murder

Preliminary attempted murder charges have been filed against two agents from France’s foreign intelligence agency over an alleged plan to kill a 54-year-old woman last month in the Creteil suburb of Paris, the city prosecutor’s office has said.

French media reported on Wednesday that the directorate-general for external security (DGSE) agents were believed to have been plotting to kill a target, but not as part of their job duties. The agency is the French equivalent of the CIA.

The Paris prosecutor said the two agents were discovered by police on 24 July in a stolen car with a false number plate. In the vehicle, officers also found army knives and a bag containing a handgun with 12 rounds of ammunition.

The prosecutor’s office said they were handed the preliminary charges on Monday. The Paris prosecutor did not give any indication as to the motive for the alleged plot.

A third DGSE agent was arrested on 31 July and handed preliminary charges of complicity in the attempted murder as part of an organised gang. If convicted, all three could face up to 10 years in prison.