A 60-year-old Irish citizen who was filmed threatening a Jewish tourist couple from Australia at a supermarket in southern France has been arrested by authorities.
The Irish citizen, who introduced himself to the couple as "Paddy from Ireland," was arrested following the confrontation at a hypermarket in Le Pontet, near Avignon.
Footage from the incident shows a heated confrontation between the man and the Jewish couple, during which he threatened them.
According to the wife’s account, the conversation began with a discussion about soccer before turning to Israel and Ireland’s policy toward it. She said that during the incident, the suspect also said he regretted that Hitler had "not finished the job." The remark cannot be clearly heard in the published footage and is therefore attributed to the couple’s testimony.
Following an investigation, French authorities succeeded in identifying the suspect. He was arrested on Wednesday and brought before the authorities the following day.
According to prosecutors in Avignon, the suspect admitted to the acts attributed to him and expressed regret for his remarks. However, he sought to explain his behavior in the context of the confrontation that developed at the scene, claiming that he had been carried away by anger.
The suspect, who reportedly has no known criminal record, was released under restrictive conditions and judicial supervision pending his trial.
He is expected to appear before the Avignon Criminal Court in October. The offenses attributed to him include making a conditional death threat and justifying or glorifying crimes against humanity.