Mayor of Alès brought to safety by RAID after suspected explosive device

Alès – 21 July 2026: The mayor of Alès, Christophe Rivenq, was taken from his home by officers of the RAID during the night leading into Tuesday. The operation was prompted by suspicions that a vehicle near his home may have been rigged with an explosive device. Authorities moved the local politician to safety as a precaution.

The evacuation took place amid heightened tension after Rivenq had already been the target of serious intimidation in recent days. The mayor, elected for the conservative party Les Républicains, has been placed under increased protection because of his efforts against drug trafficking. As of Tuesday morning, there was no confirmed information regarding an actual explosive device or any possible damage.

On Thursday, 16 July, the mayor’s wife discovered threatening graffiti on the property wall after returning home. The mailbox also contained an envelope with two nine-millimetre rounds and a threatening letter. The items left behind referred to the criminal group DZ Mafia.

The Alès public prosecutor’s office subsequently opened an investigation into death threats and intimidation. According to regional media reports, the case was transferred to the specialised interregional court in Marseille. This body handles serious organised-crime cases. However, the signature on the letter and the graffiti does not constitute conclusive proof of who was actually responsible.

Alès public prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini had described the earlier threats as serious and worrying. Police had already increased their presence in the city in the Gard department in recent days. Reports said that additional CRS units were also deployed. The measures are intended both to protect the mayor and to address the wider security situation.

Alès has around 46,000 inhabitants and has recently faced repeated violence linked to drug trafficking. In June, the prefect of Gard stated that narcotics trafficking had long since spread beyond major cities into smaller municipalities and rural areas. Local authorities are relying on cooperation between the police, judiciary and prefecture.

For Christophe Rivenq, enhanced personal protection remains the priority following the overnight intervention. Investigators must now determine who made the report about the suspicious vehicle, whether there was a specific threat, and whether there is a link to the threats discovered earlier. Official details on these questions were not initially released.