Europe’s Riots Take Terrifying Turn As Anti-Terror Police Investigate Arson, Reports Of Armed Rioters Surface

French anti-terrorism investigators have joined an investigation into the destruction of a historic city hall as violent riots and reports of armed terrorists sweep across Europe.

The demonstrations on Saturday erupted into violence across France, with rioters attacking police, setting fires and destroying public property, according to the Haute-Vienne Prefecture. Meanwhile, reports alleging that rioters were carrying military-grade firearms have intensified concerns about the unrest, although French intelligence authorities have disputed those claims, according to Le Monde.

Footage circulating on X has separately purported to show armed individuals in France, although the video’s date, location and any connection to the ongoing demonstrations remain unverified.

Perhaps the most dramatic incident occurred in Limoges, France, where masked rioters stormed the city’s historic town hall and deliberately set the building ablaze on Oct. 17, according to the Haute-Vienne Prefecture.

The fire engulfed the 143-year-old building, causing its roof and bell tower to collapse as dramatic footage circulated across social media, according to Euronews.

The attackers also threatened two municipal employees with death while deliberately setting fires inside the occupied building, Haute-Vienne Prefect Maurice Barate said during an Oct. 18 press conference.

“Those who came to do this are enemies of the Republic,” Barate said during the press conference.

French authorities arrested a suspect associated with far-left extremism on Oct. 20, with the country’s specialized anti-terrorism police joining the investigation, French outlet Télévision Française (TF1) reported, citing investigators.

However, France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor has not formally taken over the investigation. Prosecutors are examining whether the attack involved organized efforts intended to spread terror, according to TF1.

Elsewhere in France, masked attackers fired fireworks repeatedly at a police station in Fameck before setting a garbage container ablaze on Oct. 17, according to the French Gendarmerie.

Investigators subsequently recovered fireworks launchers, pyrotechnics and a replica handgun. Two suspects, ages 14 and 15, admitted their involvement and were placed under judicial supervision ahead of trial, according to the French Gendarmerie.

The violence has also spread beyond France, with rioters in Milan, Italy, throwing rocks, explosive devices and fireworks at police officers during demonstrations near the city’s famous cathedral, according to Italian news outlet Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA).

Several officers suffered head injuries while police deployed tear gas and water cannons against masked rioters, according to ANSA.

Italian police described those involved as including both Italian youths and youths of foreign origin, ANSA reported, citing police.

The unrest has also engulfed Albania, where demonstrators hurled Molotov cocktails toward riot police as vehicles burned and officers deployed water cannons in the capital of Tirana on Oct. 17, according to original Reuters footage.

Amid the destruction, allegations surfaced that rioters associated with Islamist movements were carrying Kalashnikov rifles and Scorpion submachine guns in French cities, journalist Lara Tchekov claimed during an Oct. 18 CNews broadcast.

However, France’s domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI, categorically denied both the allegations and claims that it had supplied the information to journalists, according to Le Monde.

Despite the increasingly violent confrontations, French authorities have not established that migrants organized the nationwide unrest, while the anti-terrorism investigation remains focused on the destruction of the Limoges town hall, according to TF1.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.