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What is 'fiché-S' government watchlist Limoges mairie fire suspect was reportedly on?
34-year-old man held in connection with blaze was allegedly on list
A man suspected of setting fire to the Limoges town hall during last weekend’s protests was reportedly on the government’s fiché-S list, flagging him as a potential security threat.
The town hall was heavily damaged – and the 19th-century belfry collapsed – following a fire sparked during protests on Saturday (October 17), as France faced looting and violence on a widespread scale.
Authorities arrested a 34-year-old man on Tuesday around 50km north of Limoges in connection to the blaze.
He is reported to be a far-left activist, and had several previous run-ins with the authorities.
The man is known to police – as is his father, a fellow far-left activist – and has stood trial for assaulting a police officer during a 2024 demonstration.
He received a one-year suspended prison sentence for the assault from the Limoges Court of Appeals, despite originally being acquitted. He lodged his own appeal with the Cour de cassation, France’s highest judicial court.
He was also investigated in connection with the burning of several Enedis (electric grid operator) vehicles in 2020, and the destruction of a radio/TV antenna in 2021, as part of an anti-5G protest. His father, reportedly a former plumber in his seventies, was convicted for his part in the incidents.
Limoges is historically known for its radical politics, previously dubbed ‘the Rome of socialism’ for consistently voting for left-wing parties in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, it has had a right-wing mayor since 2014.
What is ‘fiché-S’ list?
Reports also state that the man, a carpenter, is on the fiché-S, a government watchlist for radicals from across the political spectrum.
Around 580,000 people are classified as ‘fichier des personnes recherchées’, people the government are looking for or are actively monitoring. They are spread among 21 categories.
These range from fiché-J or PJ (actively being sought by the authorities), fiché-T (indebted to the Treasury for unpaid fines) and fiché-TE (opposition to entry into France).
The fiché-S list is specifically for those who forces believe may pose a threat to the security of the state, and people in direct link to people suspected of posing a threat to national security.
People on the list are flagged during checks, but it does not mean they are explicitly accused of committing a crime. They may be under direct police supervision or known to authorities and may be tracked, but this is not always the case.
Around 30,000 people are thought to be on the list, based on a 2018 Senate report (the most recent official information.
This ranges from people thought to have links to radical Islamic terrorism, to fellow far-left individuals. This includes Raphaël Arnault, the France Insoumise politician, who is the first MP to be included on the list.
Activist remains in custody
At this moment in time, the 34-year-old remains in custody but has not been charged.
His custody “will be extended later today,” said the Limoges public prosecutor on Tuesday, October 20.
“It may be prolonged for up to 96 hours, as the offence falls under the special legal framework applicable to crimes committed by an organised group.”
Indeed, anti-terrorism police are jointly handling the interrogation alongside local authorities, and have knowledge of the individual from their investigations into the burning of 5G antennas in the area.
The national anti-terrorism prosecutor may take over the case at a later date, depending on the circumstances of the incident.
Videos circulating on social media from Saturday appeared to show two men thought to be responsible for starting the fire at the town hall. It is not known if the person in custody is one of these men.
Protesters prevented firefighters from attending the blaze for a short period, which may increase the potential charges faced by those found responsible, including raising them to terrorism offences.
“An explicit ideology is not a prerequisite [for these charges]," said a legal expert to FranceInfo.
"What matters is the 'terrorist enterprise', the organisation and the coordination, aimed at disrupting public order through intimidation or terror.”
