French police has arrested a man for yelling “Allah hu Akbar” during a screening of Joker at a cinema in Paris, after his actions caused panic among film-goers.
“In the middle of the film, a guy got up from his chair and shouted “Allah hu Akbar.” People got up in a panic and ran to the exits but the doors were blocked. Some were crying. A mother was looking for her daughter,” the witness added.
The man yelling “Allah hu Akbar” managed to escape the cinema after other moviegoers tried to detain him. Police later arrested him. He was detained on suspicion of “apologizing for terrorism.”
By Monday evening, the detention had been lifted “following a review of behaviour,” a judicial source told Le Parisien. The 30-year-old was reportedly admitted to the psychiatric ward of the police headquarters.
“Obviously, the emergency doors were open. And there were only a few dozen spectators who panicked. Besides, the others stayed to see the film to the end,” Grand Rex management said.
The cinema’s management went on to praise “the re activeness of spectators who, with vigil, tried to surround the individual while waiting for the police.”
Officials say that they were still hunting for the other suspects and noted that some thieves used the panic to try and steal belongings from bags during the incident.
