(Illustrative). An exterior view of one of the chambers at the Paris Criminal Court. Photo: Reuters/Charles Platiau

A former French soldier is set to go on trial before the Paris Criminal Court charged with planning “lone wolf” terrorist attacks on Jewish community targets.

The accused, named as 38-year-old Aurélien C., was arrested in the south-western city of Limoges in May 2020 after police officers observed his increasingly violent antisemitic and racist postings on social media. He has since been held in pre-trial detention as he represents a danger to the community, the AFP news agency reported on Thursday.

The agency quoted an unnamed judicial source who disclosed that three anti-terrorism judges issued an order on Nov. 26 for Aurélien C. to be tried at the Paris Criminal Court.

Described by his former employer as “lonely” and “introverted,” and by relatives as “charming” and “discreet,” Aurélien C.’s Facebook page was a homage to racist and white supremacist propaganda. Postings on the page advanced the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory of the French far-right activist Renaud Camus, which posits that white populations in Europe and the US are being displaced by immigrants of color. Also posted was the “manifesto” of Brenton Tarrant, the neo-Nazi New Zealander who slaughtered 51 Muslim worshippers in gun attacks on two mosques in the city of Christchurch on March 15, 2019.

At the same time as immersing himself in white supremacist ideology, Aurélien C. is alleged to have researched the locations of Jewish community institutions in Limoges and elsewhere in France for a future attack. According to prosecuting lawyers, he “gradually fed his criminal project, acquiring the means to achieve his ends” by procuring firearms.

A police search of Aurélien C.’s house following his arrest uncovered three guns, including a World War II-era rifle, a store of ammunition and home-made bombs.

A lawyer for the accused insisted that there was no evidence of advance planning for an antisemitic attack.

“I strongly contest that there was any plan for violent action on the part of my client,” Pierre-François Feltesse told the news outlet Le Parisien on Thursday.

Also facing trial is the man alleged to have sold Aurélien C. his cache of weapons. The man, named as Joseph B., is facing charges relating to violations of French laws restricting the sale of guns.

Alexandre Simon, Joseph B.’s defense lawyer, told AFP that his client “was not aware” of Aurélien C.’s far-right stance, nor of “the possible danger” that the former soldier represented.

The trial is scheduled to take place in Paris from Jan. 26-28.