French anti-terror prosecutor investigates killing of Tunisian national
The Tunisian man, who has not been officially identified but is thought be around 35, was shot dead by a neighbour late on Saturday in the town of Puget-sur-Argens, the local prosecutor said. A 25-year-old Turkish national was also shot in the hand and taken to hospital after the incident.
The anti-terrorism prosecutor's office told Reuters on Monday that it was investigating charges of racially motivated assassination and attempted assassination related to a terrorist undertaking, as well as charges of involvement in a terrorist criminal group planning one or several violent crimes.
The prosecutor for the southern commune of Draguignan said on Sunday that the suspect was a 53-year-old man who practises shooting as a sport and who published what it said was hateful and racist content on his social media account before and after Saturday's killing.
The killing follows the fatal stabbing of Aboubakar Cisse, a 22-year-old man from Mali, in a mosque in the southern French town of La Grand-Combe last month amid what official figures suggest is rising racism in France.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned Saturday's shooting, saying on x that "racism must be severely punished." Political opponents have said his stances on immigration and Islam have contributed to rising levels of hate crime.
French police recorded an 11% rise in racist, xenophobic or anti-religious crimes last year, according to official data published in March.
France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, numbering more than 6 million and making up about 10% of the country's population.
Some French politicians, including President Emmanuel Macron, have criticised what they describe as Islamist separatism in a way that rights groups have said stigmatises Muslims and amounts to discrimination. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
3 minutes ago
- Straits Times
China's Premier Li proposes global AI cooperation organisation
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: China's Premier Li Qiang, delivers his speech at the ASEAN - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - China Economic Forum official dinner on the sidelines of the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Vincent Thian/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo SHANGHAI - Chinese Premier Li Qiang proposed on Saturday establishing a world artificial intelligence cooperation organisation, calling on countries to coordinate development and security of the fast-evolving technology. Speaking at the opening of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Li called AI a new engine for growth but said governance is fragmented and emphasised the need to step up coordination between countries to form a globally recognised framework for AI. The three-day event brings together industry leaders and policymakers at a time of escalating technological competition between China and the U.S., with AI emerging as a key battleground between the world's two largest economies. Washington has imposed export restrictions on advanced technology to China, including AI chips and chipmaking equipment, citing concerns the technology could enhance China's military capabilities. Despite these restrictions, China has continued making AI breakthroughs that have drawn close scrutiny from U.S. officials. Li said AI technologies were rapidly evolving but that there were constraints, such as the lack of high-end computing chips and restrictions on talent exchange. He called for breaking through bottlenecks for open and coordinated innovation. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
US condemns French inquiry into social media platform X
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The social media company last week denied the allegations, calling them 'politically motivated.' WASHINGTON - US officials issued a harsh condemnation on July 25 of France's criminal investigation into the social network X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, on suspicion of foreign interference. 'As part of a criminal investigation, an activist French prosecutor is requesting information on X's proprietary algorithm and has classified X as an 'organised crime group,'' the US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor wrote on their X account. 'Democratic governments should allow all voices to be heard, not silence speech they dislike. The United States will defend the free speech of all Americans against acts of foreign censorship.' Paris cybercrime prosecutors called for the police probe July 11 to investigate suspected crimes – including manipulating and extracting data from automated systems 'as part of a criminal gang.' The social media company last week denied the allegations, calling them 'politically motivated.' X also said it had refused to comply with the prosecutor's request to access its recommendation algorithm and real-time data. The investigation follows two January complaints that alleged the X algorithm had been used for foreign interference in French politics. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Cambodia calls for ceasefire with Thailand after deadly clashes Asia 'Nothing like this has happened before': At least 16 dead as Thai-Cambodian conflict continues Multimedia Lights dim at South-east Asia's scam hub but 'pig butchering' continues Business Banking and finance jobs will change but won't disappear as AI becomes the new normal: Accenture Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Asia Hottest 'ticket' in Jakarta? Young Indonesians compete for a slot at singing club Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly One of the complaints came from MP Eric Bothorel from President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party , who complained of 'reduced diversity of voices and options' and Mr Musk's 'personal interventions' in the platform's management since he took it over. X said it 'categorically denies' all allegations and that the probe 'is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech.' Tesla and SpaceX chief Mr Musk has raised hackles with his forays into European politics, 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,' Mr Bothorel said after the investigation was announced. AFP
AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Netanyahu, Trump appear to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, World News
JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON/CAIRO — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump appeared on Friday (July 25) to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, both saying it had become clear that the Palestinian militants did not want a deal. Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling "alternative" options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave, where starvation is spreading and most of the population is homeless amid widespread ruin. Trump said he believed Hamas leaders would now be "hunted down", telling reporters: "Hamas really didn't want to make a deal. I think they want to die. And it's very bad. And it got to be to a point where you're going to have to finish the job." The remarks appeared to leave little to no room, at least in the short term, to resume negotiations for a break in the fighting, at a time when international concern is mounting over worsening hunger in war-shattered Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron, responding to the deteriorating humanitarian situation, announced that Paris would become the first major Western power to recognise an independent Palestinian state. Britain and Germany said they were not yet ready to do so but later joined France in calling for an immediate ceasefire. British Prime Minister Keith Starmer said his government would recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal. Trump dismissed Macron's move. "What he says doesn't matter," he said. "He's a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn't carry weight." Israel and the United States withdrew their delegations on Thursday from the ceasefire talks in Qatar, hours after Hamas submitted its response to a truce proposal. Sources initially said on Thursday that the Israeli withdrawal was only for consultations and did not necessarily mean the talks had reached a crisis. But Netanyahu's remarks suggested Israel's position had hardened overnight. US envoy Steve Witkoff said Hamas was to blame for the impasse, and Netanyahu said Witkoff had got it right. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said on Facebook that the talks had been constructive, and criticised Witkoff's remarks as aimed at exerting pressure on Israel's behalf. "What we have presented — with full awareness and understanding of the complexity of the situation — we believe could lead to a deal if the enemy had the will to reach one," he said. Mediators Qatar and Egypt said there had been some progress in the latest round of talks. They said suspensions were a normal part of the process and they were committed to continuing to try to reach a ceasefire in partnership with the US. The proposed ceasefire would suspend fighting for 60 days, allow more aid into Gaza, and free some of the 50 remaining hostages held by militants in return for Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel. It has been held up by disagreement over how far Israel should withdraw its troops and the future beyond the 60 days if no permanent agreement is reached. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right national security minister in Netanyahu's coalition, welcomed Netanyahu's step, calling for a total halt of aid to Gaza and complete conquest of the enclave, adding in a post on X: "Total annihilation of Hamas, encourage emigration, [Jewish] settlement." Mass hunger International aid organisations say mass hunger has now arrived among Gaza's 2.2 million people, with stocks running out after Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March, then reopened it in May but with new restrictions. The Israeli military said on Friday it had agreed to let countries airdrop aid into Gaza. Hamas dismissed this as a stunt. "The Gaza Strip does not need flying aerobatics, it needs an open humanitarian corridor and a steady daily flow of aid trucks to save what remains of the lives of besieged, starving civilians," Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, told Reuters. Gaza medical authorities said nine more Palestinians had died over the past 24 hours from malnutrition or starvation. Dozens have died in the past few weeks as hunger worsens. [[nid:720599]] Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to distribute it, in what the Israeli foreign ministry called on Friday "a deliberate ploy to defame Israel". The United Nations says it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions. United Nations agencies said on Friday that supplies were running out in Gaza of specialised therapeutic food to save the lives of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher also has demanded that Israel provide evidence for its accusations that staff with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were affiliated with Hamas, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The ceasefire talks have been accompanied by continuing Israeli offensives. Palestinian health officials said Israeli airstrikes and gunfire had killed at least 21 people across the enclave on Friday, including five killed in a strike on a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City. In the city, residents carried the body of journalist Adam Abu Harbid through the streets wrapped in a white shroud, his blue flak jacket marked PRESS draped across his body. He was killed overnight in a strike on tents housing displaced people. Mahmoud Awadia, another journalist attending the funeral, said the Israelis were deliberately trying to kill reporters. Israel denies intentionally targeting journalists. Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed Israeli towns near the border, killing some 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, health officials there say, and reduced much of the enclave to ruins. ALSO READ: Israel and US recall teams from Gaza truce talks, US says Hamas not showing good faith
