On Monday, the 84-year-old man identified as Claude Sinke tried to set the mosque's doors on fire and shot two people who tried to stop him. He was arrested by police while attempting to flee. In 2015, Sinke was a candidate for the far-right National Rally political party — previously known as the National Front — in a regional election.

Following a psychological evaluation, he was deemed to be incapable of fully comprehending or control his actions, according to the French BFMTV channel. With that in mind, the PNAT announced that it would drop the investigation.

Marc Mariee, a Bayonne prosecutor, has said that despite the diagnosis, an attempted murder case remains against Sinke.

The prosecutor added that the perpetrator had intended to take revenge for the fire in the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, which, according to the accused, had been orchestrated by members of the French Muslim community.