Awalkhan K., a 28-year-old Afghan refugee residing in Lourdes, has been formally charged with terrorist conspiracy for allegedly planning a violent attack in France. Anti-terrorism services suspect him of plotting the attack after returning from a four-month clandestine trip to Afghanistan. The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office confirmed the charges to Actu17 following an initial report by Le Monde.
The suspect is currently held in pre-trial detention. He faces formal charges of terrorist conspiracy to commit offenses against persons, incitement of terrorism, and financing of terrorism.
Awalkhan K., who is originally from the Logar province of Afghanistan, left his homeland in 2021 when the Taliban returned to power. He told the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons that he was persecuted by the Taliban for alleged espionage, claiming he was captured and freed after his father was beaten in retaliation. After living in Turkey for two years, a breakdown during his attempt to cross the English Channel forced him to stay in France instead of continuing to England. He settled in France in November 2023, where he was granted asylum.
Online Surveillance and Identification
Investigators now suspect he entered France as an infiltrator with ties to Afghan and Pakistani terrorist networks. The investigation began in the summer of 2025 when an internet user reported a TikTok account to the PHAROS reporting platform. The account had more than 16,000 followers and glorified both the Haqqani network, an Islamist armed group allied with the Taliban regime in Kabul, and the Movement of Transition of Pakistan. Both organizations are listed as terrorist groups by the United States and are subject to United Nations sanctions.
On the TikTok account, the creator urged followers to embrace jihad, calling it an obligation. Months of investigative work linked the profile to Awalkhan K., who had recently been hired as a dishwasher at a hotel in Lourdes. French authorities arrested him on June 29, 2026, as he left work, placing him in custody at the headquarters of the General Directorate for Internal Security.
Clandestine Travel to Afghanistan
Data extracted from his mobile phones confirmed that he traveled to Afghanistan in recent months, with several images and videos circulating online. According to investigators, he flew to Istanbul on December 9, 2025, holding a visa for Iran, before crossing into Afghanistan. He returned to France at the end of March 2026 on a flight from Hungary after a nearly four-month journey.
Photographs recovered from his devices show him alongside Taliban fighters, most of whom were armed with assault rifles. In one photograph taken on December 27, 2025, in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, he posed in traditional clothing holding a Kalashnikov rifle and wearing an ammunition vest. Images extending into the spring of 2026 showed him wearing military uniforms, including inside a police station.
Suspected Attack Preparation
Anti-terrorism services suspect he actively planned an attack after returning to France. In conversations with his family, he spoke of armed jihad, the struggle, his desire to reach paradise, and dying as a martyr. Beginning in April 2026, he took photos of himself in front of monuments, public buildings including the Eiffel Tower, and religious sites. In these photos, he wore traditional Afghan clothing with his face covered by a scarf and gloves on his hands.
Investigators also recovered a propaganda video depicting a decapitation, along with photos of firearms. Additionally, they found an image montage showing Awalkhan K. in a military uniform with the face of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani network who serves as the Taliban regime's Minister of the Interior, superimposed over his image.
