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An Islamic extremist with an arsenal of loaded guns was only prevented from opening fire on Sunday morning churchgoers because he accidentally shot himself, French officials said.
The 24-year-old computer science student has lived in France for several years and had been under surveillance for months.
Bernard Cazeneuve, the French Interior Minister, said the suspect was also accused of killing a woman shortly before he was detained.
He reportedly shot himself accidentally in the leg but survived and called an ambulance to a street in the 13th Arondissement.
Mr Cazeneuve said police discovered an “arsenal” of weapons in his car after attending the call at around 8.30am on Sunday.
The man claimed he was the victim of an attempted robbery but officers following a trail of blood to his vehicle found a Kalashnikov, pistol and police armbands alongside notes on potential targets, Le Parisien reported.
Subsequent searches in his flat uncovered three automatic rifles, handguns, bulletproof vests and flashing lights similar to those used by the Paris police.
Evidence on the suspect’s Facebook account suggested he was targeting “one or two” churches in the Villejuif district on the same day, Mr Cazeneuve said.
The French-Algerian suspect is also accused of murdering 32-year-old Aurelie Chatelain, who was found shot dead in her car in the same area on Sunday morning.
A security official said the pilates instructor appeared to have been killed by the suspect at random, possibly after he attempted to hijack her car.
French has been on high alert since the Charlie Hebdo massacre in January and attack on a kosher supermarket by Islamic extremists that left 20 people dead.
Agencies/Canadajournal
