Two 16-Year-Olds Arrested in Lille for Foiled Terrorist Plot Involving Explosives

French authorities arrested two 16-year-old minors in Lille on February 18, 2026, after disrupting a planned terrorist attack. The General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) intervened as the teenagers had commenced the manufacture of TATP, a highly unstable explosive favored by jihadist groups. One minor, deeply radicalized and influenced by jihadist propaganda, admitted planning a violent act targeting either a commercial center or a concert hall, potentially involving a stolen firearm. The investigation, launched under suspicion of conspiracy to commit crimes against individuals and unauthorized manufacturing of explosives related to a terrorist enterprise, has resulted in custody of the minors for 96 hours. Judicial authorities have opened an inquiry: provisional detention was requested for the more dangerous of the two, while the other remains under judicial control. This case highlights ongoing challenges in combating youth radicalization and terrorism in northern France, underlining the role of French law enforcement in preempting such threats before execution.