Survivalist arrested over booby trap home full of bombs in France

A survivalist preparing for civil war in a village in the south of France was found to have 56 explosive devices in and around his home after police were asked to visit by the mayor.

The mayor of Carnas (Gard), a secluded village in the Cévennes, contacted the police over his concerns about a local resident known to be preparing for a ‘civil war’.

The man in his 50s reportedly suffers from psychiatric problems and had been known to collect weapons although he had no history of violence.

Twenty members of an elite brigade of the gendarmerie, the GIGN, were dispatched to the village and spent two days searching the man’s home last week.

"We could not take the risk of letting him take any sort of action, because this is an individual who is clearly unstable,” Abdlkrim Grini, the procurer from nearby Alès told BFMTV

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The gendarmes found bombs hidden all over the property: beside the front gate, attached to doors and under the stairs.

Over the course of two days, they found a total of 56 bombs and 25 explosive traps, 11 of which were operational.

The unnamed individual was taken into custody. Following psychiatric evaluation he was deemed exempt from criminal responsibility and sent to hospital.

“At present, he is still undergoing treatment for psychiatric problems,” said Mr Grini. “However, the individual will certainly be placed under arrest when his health has improved.”

The man’s neighbour, Denis, told BFMTV that he had never actually caused any problems in the village.

“He’s a nice lad, a bit closed-off,” he said. “He gets a lot of hassle in the village”.

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