Far-left activist known to police is arrested over arson attack that destroyed historic town hall during French riots

A far-left activist has been arrested over the burning down of a historic town hall in France during the country's violent riots. 

Anti-terror police have been called in to investigate the arson of the town hall in the central city of Limoges, a listed building dating back to 1883 whose roof and belfry collapsed when it was engulfed by fire on Saturday.

The destruction of the building came on a night of chaos in which thousands of masked looters ransacked shops and businesses across France, as the country continues to be ravaged by unrest. 

The man was arrested by officers from the specialised RAID police unit in the nearby town of Val d'Issoire, the Limoges prosecutor's office said. 

He has been named locally as 34-year-old Hodei CD. 

He had previously been flagged as someone requiring surveillance as a potential threat and was linked to ultra-left movements, according to a police source. 

Along with others, he is suspected of having broken windows of the building to gain entry and set fire to it. 

Hodei CD has a criminal history of violence linked to the radical French protest group Les Soulèvements de la Terre (Earth Uprisings), French newspaper Le Parisien reports. 

According to La Montagne newspaper, he was previously tried in July last year for punching an officer during a protest in October 2024. 

He is also the son of a prolific Basque activist, who was sentenced in 2025 for participating in an arson attack in 2020, according to Le Parisien.

The demonstrations were called in a show of anger against grievances including the rising cost of living and conditions in schools.

The scenes of the burning building collapsing also brought back memories in France of the April 2019 fire that ravaged Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which investigators believe started by accident but horrified the country.

Meanwhile, France's Counter-Terrorism Sub-Directorate (SDAT), a branch of the judicial police, has been called in to investigate the case further, another source close to the case added, asking not to be named.

The building's facade is still standing, though at risk of collapse. The interior and roof have been destroyed.

French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin told commercial broadcaster TF1 late Monday that anti-terror prosecutors would soon decide whether to investigate the incident as a suspected terror attack against the town hall organised by the ultra-left.

The right-wing mayor of Limoges, Guillaume Guerin, has lambasted the response by police, who he said 'lacked the necessary resources' and 'backed down' in the face of rioters.

He called on the government to 'inject millions' to rebuild the town hall, adding that 'the state has failed'. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu was due to visit Limoges on Friday, his office said.

Around 5,000 people, including 700 individuals described by the authorities as 'radicalised and extremely violent', took part in the demonstration in Limoges on Saturday. Some 7,000 people then took part in a protest to denounce the violence on Sunday evening.

Darmanin, visiting the northern city of Lille, whose own town hall was briefly broken into and ransacked by rioters on Saturday, said those behind the violence 'betray France and the image of France'.

He vowed an 'extremely firm' judicial response, warning that otherwise people 'would take justice into their own hands' to stop being attacked.

He said that after fast-track hearings over the violence, 'people with no previous criminal record are being sent to prison', something very unusual in France, where short sentences are often served outside of jail.

In Limoges, 10 people were arrested 'for looting a shop, all of whom were immediately imprisoned,' he said.