France probes terror motive after man shoots dead Tunisian neighbour
The shooting was initially investigated by regional prosecutors as a suspected murder motivated by the victim's ethnicity or religion.
But French national anti-terror prosecutors (
Parquet national antiterroriste
, PNAT) announced Monday that they would be taking over the investigation.
The suspected killer, a 53-year-old who is French, fled the scene in a car but was arrested not far away after his partner alerted police.
He posted videos with racist content before and after the shooting late on Saturday, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier.
The Tunisian man killed, believed to be 35 years old, was shot five times. The Turkish citizen, 25, was wounded in the hand and hospitalised, the prosecutor said.
Advertisement
A sports shooting enthusiast, the suspect "posted two videos on his social media account containing racist and hateful content before and after his attack," he added.
The PNAT prosecutors said Monday that they had opened an investigation into a "terrorist plot" motivated by the race or religion of the victims.
"The racist nature of this double crime is beyond doubt, given the hateful remarks made by the killer," said SOS Racisme, an anti-discrimination NGO.
"This tragedy echoes a series of racist crimes that have occurred in recent months," it said, denouncing a "poisonous climate" in the country including the "trivialisation of racist rhetoric".
Aboubakar Cisse of Mali was stabbed dozens of times while attending prayers at the mosque in the southern French town of La Grand-Combe on April 25th.
A French national of Bosnian origin accused of carrying out the attack surrendered to Italian authorities after three days on the run. Italy then extradited him to France to face justice.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau was bitterly criticised for never travelling to the scene of that crime to show solidarity, while PNAT anti-terror prosecutors also came under fire for not taking over the case and instead leaving it to regular criminal prosecutors.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fashion Network
an hour ago
- Fashion Network
Italy moves to safeguard fashion sector reputation following labour scandals
A few unlawful businesses in the fashion supply chain have tainted the image of ' Made in Italy ', Italy's industry minister said on Tuesday, adding that he is working on a certification scheme to remedy this after the latest high profile case. Cashmere company Loro Piana, controlled by French luxury group LVMH, was put under judicial administration last week after prosecutors uncovered evidence of worker abuses in its supply chain. The label was the fifth high-end brand to undergo such court monitoring in Italy since early 2024. "We cannot allow the illicit behaviour of a few to compromise the reputation of the entire sector, penalising many virtuous companies and, consequently, our Made in Italy brand, which is a symbol of excellence and quality," minister Adolfo Urso told fashion trade bodies during a meeting, according to a source. The ministry is working on a measure to certify the sustainability and legality of companies in the supply chain in advance, he added, so that brands do not have to answer for the conduct of their suppliers or subcontractors. Units of fashion brands Valentino, Dior, Armani and Italian handbag company Alviero Martini were previously placed under administration in Italy for similar alleged worker exploitation. In the case of Loro Piana, the Court of Milan found it "culpably failed" to adequately oversee its suppliers in order to pursue higher profits, according to the ruling. Prosecutors in that case said the violation of rules among fashion companies in Italy was "a generalised and consolidated manufacturing method". Italy is home to thousands of small manufacturers that make up 50%-55% of global luxury goods production, consultancy Bain has calculated. Italian legal and political authorities, fashion industry bodies and trade unions signed an action plan in May to fight worker exploitation in the apparel and accessories supply chain, after prosecutors uncovered widespread abuse.
Local France
8 hours ago
- Local France
French court jails three in Champagne ‘slaves' trial
The Champagne region is under tough scrutiny, with another inquiry looking into alleged exploitation of Ukrainians during the same 2023 harvest, a summer marked by exceptional heat and the death of four grape pickers. A lawyer for the victims – more than 50 mostly undocumented migrant workers from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal – said the court had made a 'historic' decision. The victims, who said they had been treated 'like slaves', also welcomed the ruling. 'The people were working in really bad conditions, and this decision is fair,' said Amadou Diallo, a 39-year-old from Senegal. The court sentenced the director of a servicing company called Anavim, a Kyrgyz woman in her forties, to two years behind bars, and another two years suspended. She had denied being responsible for the housing conditions, and blamed the two other defendants suspected of recruiting the harvesters. The court sentenced the two others, both men in their thirties, to one year in jail, alongside suspended terms. All three were found guilty of human trafficking – defined under French law as 'recruiting, transporting, transferring, housing or receiving a person to exploit them', by means of coerced employment, abusing a position of authority, abusing a vulnerable situation or in exchange of payment or benefits. The Anavim director was also found guilty of crimes including concealing employment of workers. The court in Chalons-en-Champagne dissolved the servicing company and ordered a wine-making cooperative it worked with to pay a €75,000 fine. The court ordered the three guilty to pay €4,000 each to every victim. Advertisement A lawyer for the Anavim director called the ruling 'unfair' and said there would be an appeal. 'My client is the ideal culprit for an industry that has long turned a blind eye to its own practices,' said Bruno Questel. Maxime Cessieux, an attorney for the victims, said the 2025 harvest, 'will be closely scrutinised and no one will be able to say, 'I didn't know, I didn't understand, I didn't know who these people in my vineyards were'.' In September 2023, the labour inspectorate found that accommodation provided by Anavim for grape pickers southwest of Reims 'seriously undermined' their safety, health and dignity. The accommodation was subsequently closed by the prefecture, which had pointed to makeshift bedding and, 'the appalling state of the toilets, washrooms and communal areas'. Camara Sikou, one of the victims, told the court the workers had been treated 'like slaves'. 'They put us in an abandoned building, with no food, no water, no nothing,' added Modibo Sidibe, who said the workers were in the fields from 5am until 6pm. The Comite Champagne, which represents winegrowers and champagne houses, was a plaintiff in the trial. Advertisement 'You don't play with the health and safety of seasonal workers. Nor are we playing with the image of our appellation,' the trade association said. The CGT champagne trade union said the punishment was not sufficient. 'What we are asking for is the downgrading of the harvest,' in zones where the offences were committed so it could no longer be used to produce champagne, said Jose Blanco, CGT general secretary. Every year, around 120,000 seasonal workers are recruited to pick the grapes grown across 34,000 hectares in the Champagne region. In 2023, four harvesters died, possibly the result of sunstroke after working in scorching heat. A service provider and its manager will go on trial in November on suspicion of having housed 40 Ukrainians in unfit conditions.
Local France
20 hours ago
- Local France
Musk's X calls French foreign interference probe 'politically motivated'
"X believes that this investigation is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech," the social network said. It added that it "has not acceded to the French authorities' demands" to access its recommendation algorithm and real-time data, "as we have a legal right to do". Cybercrime prosecutors announced the opening of the probe on July 11th into suspected crimes including manipulating and extracting data from automated systems "as part of a criminal gang". Advertisement The move followed two complaints received in January about "foreign interference" in French politics via X - one of them from Eric Bothorel, an MP from President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party. Bothorel had complained of "reduced diversity of voices and options" and Musk's "personal interventions" on the network since his 2022 takeover of the former Twitter. The Tesla and SpaceX chief has raised hackles in Europe with political sallies, including vocal backing for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of February legislative elections. "Democracy is too fragile to let digital platform owners tell us what to think, who to vote for or even who to hate," Bothorel said after the investigation was announced. The company responded on Monday saying, "Mr Bothorel has accused X of manipulating its algorithm for 'foreign interference' purposes, an allegation which is completely false." Prosecutors have not confirmed whether they are also investigating under a French law against foreign interference in politics passed last year. X also complained of bias in French authorities' choice of experts to examine its algorithm, including mathematician David Chavalarias and computer scientist Maziyar Panahi. Both have been involved in a scheme called "HelloQuitteX", designed to make it easier for users to migrate their X presence to other social networks. Picking them "raises serious concerns about the impartiality, fairness and political motivations of the investigation", the company said. It also objected to the use of the "organised gang" aggravating circumstance. The characterisation "is usually reserved for drug cartels or mafia groups" and "enables the French police to deploy extensive investigative powers... including wiretapping the personal devices of X employees," the company said.
