French security forces on Tuesday (October 20, 2026) arrested a man believed to be linked to ultra-left movements over the burning down of a historic town hall in central France during rioting at the weekend on the sidelines of nationwide protests.
Meanwhile, France’s Counter-Terrorism Sub-Directorate (SDAT), a branch of the judicial police, has been called in to investigate the case further, another source close to the case added, asking not to be named. The building’s facade is still standing, though at risk of collapse. The interior and roof have been destroyed.
Anti-terror police have been called in to investigate the suspected arson of the town hall in the central city of Limoges, a listed building dating back to 1883 whose roof and belfry collapsed when it was engulfed by fire on Saturday (October 17, 2026). The scenes of the burning building collapsing also brought back memories in France of the April 2019 fire that ravaged Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which investigators believe was started by accident but horrified the country. He was 34 years old, a source with knowledge of the case said. French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin told commercial broadcaster TF1 late Monday (October 19, 2026) that anti-terror prosecutors would soon decide whether to investigate the incident as a suspected terror attack against the town hall organised by the ultra-left.
The man was arrested by officers from the specialised RAID police unit in the nearby town of Val d’Issoire, the Limoges prosecutor’s office said. The right-wing mayor of Limoges, Guillaume Guerin, has lambasted the response by police, who he said “lacked the necessary resources” and “backed down” in the face of rioters.
