A radicalized Islamic terrorist released from prison just weeks earlier launched a knife attack on French police officers at the Arc de Triomphe, exposing catastrophic failures in Europe’s supervision of convicted jihadists.
Story Snapshot
- Brahim Bahrir, 47, attacked gendarmes with a knife and scissors at Paris’ Arc de Triomphe on February 13, 2026, during a ceremony honoring fallen soldiers
- The attacker served only 12 years of a 17-year sentence for a 2012 jihadist knife attack in Belgium before early release on December 24, 2025
- Despite daily police check-ins and movement restrictions, Bahrir executed what prosecutors called a “long-standing plan” to die attacking police
- French counterterrorism officials opened an investigation into “terrorist enterprise,” highlighting systemic failures in monitoring radicalized former prisoners
Terror Attack at National Monument
Brahim Bahrir attacked French gendarmes shortly after 6 PM on February 13, 2026, targeting officers securing a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe. The 47-year-old French national wielded a knife and scissors, lunging at a gendarme among musicians from the mobile gendarmerie. The blade struck the officer’s coat collar but caused no injury. A second gendarme immediately shot Bahrir twice in the chest. Authorities transported him to Georges-Pompidou Hospital where he died from his wounds. The Arc de Triomphe closed temporarily as Paris’ National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office launched a formal investigation.
Dangerous Early Release Program Backfires
Bahrir’s attack came less than two months after his December 24, 2025 release from French prison, where he had served 12 years of a 17-year sentence for a 2012 jihadist knife attack in Brussels. A sentence enforcement court approved his early release on June 17, 2025, placing him under dual judicial and administrative surveillance requiring daily police check-ins and movement restrictions. Despite these measures, Bahrir executed what authorities described as a “long-standing plan” to die attacking police officers. This failure underscores the grave dangers of releasing radicalized terrorists before completing full sentences, a practice that prioritizes misguided rehabilitation theories over public safety and puts law-abiding citizens at risk.
Radicalization Rooted in Islamist Ideology
Bahrir’s descent into violent jihadism began in 2012 following job loss at SNCF French railways and divorce. He traveled to Molenbeek, Brussels—a notorious jihadist breeding ground—where he immersed himself in radical Islamist ideology. Investigators discovered he annotated news reports about Sharia4Belgium clashes over Belgium’s full-face veil ban, vowing revenge against “infidels” for the Afghan occupation and treatment of Muslim women. On June 8, 2012, Bahrir attacked three police officers at Beekkant metro station in Molenbeek, injuring two with one seriously wounded. Belgian courts convicted him of premeditated murder linked to terrorism, weapons possession, and armed resistance in June 2013.
Pattern of Jihadi Violence Against Police
The Arc de Triomphe attack represents Bahrir’s second attempt to murder police officers in service of his radical Islamist ideology. His 2012 Brussels attack occurred just days after Sharia4Belgium violence over veil restrictions, demonstrating his commitment to punishing authorities enforcing laws against radical Islamic practices. Court records reveal Bahrir admitted to judges his intention to achieve martyrdom through killing police. France has endured repeated Islamist terror attacks since 2015, including knife attacks targeting teachers and police officers. The symbolic nature of attacking gendarmes during a ceremony honoring war dead at France’s most iconic monument highlights the contempt radical Islamists harbor for Western civilization and its traditions.
It's only going to get worse, France.
You brought this upon yourselves.
**
WATCH: Islamic Terrorist Attacks French Police Officers With a Knife at Paris' Arc de Triomphe, Gets Shot Dead https://t.co/1R8dMpeX9O— Chuck Nellis The Phoenix (@ChuckThePhoenix) February 14, 2026
This incident exposes the fundamental flaw in European criminal justice systems that prioritize lenient treatment of convicted terrorists over protecting innocent lives. Americans watching Europe’s self-inflicted security crisis should demand lawmakers prevent similar policies from taking root domestically. The French government’s failure to keep a known jihadist imprisoned for his full sentence—or permanently—resulted in another terror attack that could have killed multiple officers. Only decisive action to ensure terrorists serve maximum sentences without early release can prevent these preventable tragedies and protect communities from individuals committed to violent jihad against Western society.
Sources:
Knife-wielding Arc de Triomphe attacker dies after being shot by Paris police – France 24
