Police have guarded a security perimeter near the site of the stabbing attack on Saturday, December 2, 2023, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. The attacker, Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab, was previously convicted of terrorism-related offenses and had been sentenced to five years in prison, with one year suspended, in 2018.
The 26-year-old Franco-Iranian is not the first radicalized detainee to commit an attack after being released from prison. This raises questions about the monitoring of terrorists after their release. With several jihadists expected to have completed their sentences in the coming years, the question of their monitoring becomes increasingly important.
The stabbing attack also raises concerns about the psychiatric monitoring of radicalized individuals. Rajabpour-Miyandoab, who was under atypical antipsychotic medication during his detention and after his release in 2020, stopped taking his medication in March 2022. His statements to the police during his arrest indicated his motivations were linked to his perception of Muslim deaths in conflicts such as those in Gaza.
While his psychological fragility has been noted, his legal responsibility is not yet determined. His clear and non-delusional video claiming allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), posted on his social media, suggests a carefully constructed ideology rather than a delusional state.
His history, traced back to his 2018 conviction, paints the picture of an unstable individual who oscillated between phases of radicalization and deradicalization. This complex and shifting profile made it difficult for authorities to accurately assess his level of danger.
The article concludes by prompting readers to subscribe in order to access the rest of the content.
