French police have arrested a 27yo ‘assassin’ armed with two hidden blades, a sapper shovel and a pair of pruning shears, who said he was just a cosplay fan taking a stroll during the Yellow Vests protest in Paris.

With his black hood and military backpack, Thomas G. immediately aroused suspicion from a Champs-Élysées police brigade which was carrying out preventive checks in the Saint-Lazare area ahead of the Yellow Vests protest on Saturday. When the officers approached the odd-looking individual, he tried to flee but was quickly restrained.

Attached to his arms with elastic tape and hidden under his jacket, the officers discovered two 30cm blades. The devices were designed to quickly slide out in a manner worthy of the Assassin's Creed video game series. Police also found two balaclavas, sunglasses, pruning shears, and a sapper shovel, as well as a DSPAP police patch, local media reported.

#GiletsJaunes#ActeXXVII#acte27 interpel par effectifs dspap et gav ce midi d'un manifestant porteur de 2 lames attachés aux avant-bras l'homme est connu pour port d'arme ⁦@LePoint⁩ pic.twitter.com/8qhDXnketu — aziz zemouri (@azizzemouri1) May 18, 2019

During questioning, the Hauts-de-Seine native claimed that he was just a “cosplay” enthusiast and a big fan of law enforcement, telling officers that he is keen to become a security assistant (ADS) one day.

“This guy had come to do damage to my colleagues,” Rocco Contento, the head of the SGP police force unit, said. “He would have been ready to hurt or even kill one.”

The suspect was placed in custody before the public prosecutor takes over the case, local media reports. Carrying blade weapons in public without a legitimate reason in France is punishable by up to one year in prison and a €15,000 fine.

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