Irish of Vincennes
| Date | 1982 |
|---|---|
| Location | France |
| Perpetrators | Paul Barril |
The "Irish of Vincennes" affair (Fraench: Affaire des Irlandais de Vincennes; also known as the Vincennes Three, or Irishmen of Vincennes, although one of the arrestees was not a man) was a major political scandal which occurred in France during the presidency of François Mitterrand. Following a 1982 terrorist attack in Paris, a secret police anti-terrorist cell established by Mitterrand arrested three Irish nationals in Vincennes. Proudly proclaimed as a victory against 'international terrorism', the case fell apart and the suspects were cleared of all charges before the case came to trial when it was revealed that weapons and other evidence used against the three had been planted by the arresting officers, who then lied to the investigating judge, with the press alleging that documents supporting the suspects' innocence had been covered up by the executive government.
