Brest gendarmerie burglary suspects charged, Digi Mart USA News (Brest, Finistère, France): Six suspects, including three adolescents, have been placed under formal investigation for the burglary of a gendarmerie in Brest in the Finistère department, where they stole equipment, including bulletproof vests, prosecutors announced Sunday, November 8.
According to a statement from Brest Public Prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger, the individuals broke into the premises of the Brest gendarmerie squadron “by ruse and climbing” during the night of October 7 to 8. Security systems prevented them from stealing firearms and ammunition, but they left with equipment including two heavy helmets, two bulletproof vests, battering rams and tear gas canisters.
On the evening of November 5, gendarmes arrested several suspects in Finistère and Morbihan and recovered “almost all” of the stolen equipment, the prosecutor said. The six people arrested include three adults aged 18 to 34 and three minors aged 15 or 16.
Some of the suspects had previously been convicted of aggravated theft and drug-related offenses. All six have been charged with fraudulent entry onto a military site, organized gang theft and participation in a criminal association in preparation of a crime.
The three adults have been placed in pretrial detention, as have the two 16-year-old adolescents. The 15-year-old has been placed in an educational center under judicial supervision.
