Translated material
The end of the "Toulouse shooter"
The police operation to detain the criminal began on the night of March 21, but the measure began to shoot back, injuring several police officers. Periodically, electricity turned off in this residential quarter, preparations for the assault were clearly conducted, but the decisive actions of law enforcement officers did not resort to for a long time, explaining this by the fact that they had another task: to take the measure alive so that it appeared before the court.
As the France Press Agency reported on the morning of March 22, the Minister of Internal Affairs of France Claude Gean confirmed the information that had previously sounded on television that the police cannot contact the terrorist. The minister said that there was no connection with the measure all night and it is not known whether he is still alive.
Throughout the previous day, the media periodically reported the arrest of the suspect, but police officers immediately refuted this information. About 14 hours Moscow time. On March 22, a message of France Press appeared (citing a source in the police) that special forces solders entered the apartment where the terrorist hid. However, the Minister of Internal Affairs of France Claude Gean did not confirm this information, nevertheless noticing that "a certain movement is taking place." Nevertheless, the news agencies continued to report the details of the development of the operation: the police entered the house - onto the floor located above the apartment where the killer is located; Earlier, the police brought a stretcher to the place of events; Additional forces of the police special forces are pulled to the house.
Then the France -Press agency - again with reference to a source in the police - reported: "The Toulouse shooter" Muhhamed Mera, who killed seven people, including three children, is dead. According to the agency, when storming the apartment where the measure settled, he resisted. When the assault began, a fierce shootout was heard. Three police officers affected during this operation are reported. The condition of one of them is serious.
After some time, the information about the death of the measure was confirmed in the administration of the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy. The Minister of Internal Affairs of the country Claude Gean told reporters the details of the assault. According to him, the measure, shooting away, jumped out the window and was already killed on the street. According to representatives of the authorities, the death of the terrorist complicates the further investigation of his crimes: it will be more difficult to find out whether he acted on his own or fulfilled the plan of the organized terrorist group.
Recall the chronology of events. On March 21, the French police began the siege of the house in which the offender took refuge, who shot children at a Jewish school on March 19. First, they tried to take the suspect’s apartment storm. Around 14.00 Moscow time, the police suspended the assault in the hope that the suspect would surrender. However, as in an interview with Radio Liberty, the chief of the Bureau Fran-Press in Russia and the CIS countries Nicolas Miletich, the alleged terrorist ceased to communicate with the police. Residents of the five -story building began to evacuate. Gas services turned off the gas supply in the house where the suspect was barricaded. Later there was a message that the police had restored contact with him.
According to the France Press agency, referring to a source in the Power Department of France, the suspect-the "self-proclaimed member of the Al-Qaeda group. Allegedly, negotiations of the alleged criminal are intercepted, in which he declared himself a member of Al-Qaeda.
We are talking about a 24-year-old man whose name is Muhammad Mera. He is a citizen of France of Algerian descent. Earlier, the measure has repeatedly visited an uncontrolled section of the Afghan-Pakistani border, known as the location of the al-Qaeda group. The suspect adheres to extremist views - France Press reported this an unnamed police source, adding that a criminal investigation gave irrefutable evidence of the suspect guilt. According to the source in the French Ministry of Internal Affairs, this person has repeatedly visited the war zone and returned to France after that, and such people are always under the close attention of law enforcement agencies.
Information appeared on the website of the French newspaper Mond that in December 2007, Muhammad Mer was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison for the production and installation of explosive devices in Kandagar. However, in June 2008, the measure escaped from the Afghan prison. It was a massive escape: after the Taliban attacked the prison, about a thousand prisoners were free, at least 400 of them were Taliban militants.
The mother of the hiding M. Mer tried to attract the negotiations, but she refused to talk with her son, referring to the fact that she had no influence on him - the Minister of Internal Affairs of France Claude Gean, who personally leads a special operation, said this. According to the minister, the suspect previously allegedly said that his actions are revenge for Palestinian children. At a briefing, Gean told reporters that these data were received by the French police from the arrested brother of the suspect.
Meanwhile, the French television channel "BFM" interviewed a lawyer who was defended by Muhhamed Mer for other criminal cases (he was tried several times for theft and aggressive behavior). Lawyer Christian Etelena expressed fear that his client - taking into account the current situation and the weaknesses of his character - can now commit suicide.
Two years ago, Christian Ethene found out, the measure fell under the influence of radical Islamists, went to Afghanistan. But, the lawyer admits, he could not imagine that his client was able to commit murders in which he is now suspected.
Earlier, Muhhamed Mer said that with his actions he tried to avenge the murder of Palestinian children.
Recall that the first murder in Toulouse happened on March 11.Then the 30-year-old senior sergeant of the 1st airborne transport regiment was shot dead. According to the investigation, the murder was preceded by a meeting of the victim with a certain person who wanted to buy a scooter on an announcement of the sale that the sergeant gave in the newspaper. Imad Ibn-Zemetan was killed by a shot in the head from close range, from a pistol. Four days later, two more paratroopers were shot, and in the same way: with a shot in the head at close range. All three military personnel were French soldiers of Arabic origin, immigrants from North Africa. It is believed that soldiers of Arabic origin, serving in the Armed Forces of European countries, are a target for terrorist groups like "al-Qaeda" who call such soldiers "traitors".
On the morning of March 19, the killer in a black helmet drove up to the entrance to the Jewish school, where the 30-year-old rabbin Jonathan Sandler, two of his children and another student of the school calmly shot. The bodies of the dead have already been delivered to Israel.
In connection with the unprecedented crime on the basis of racial hatred, the presidential campaign in France was temporarily suspended.
The situation around the Toulouse tragedy in an interview with Radio is commented by journalist Vitaly Dymarsky , who has worked in France for many years.
- Today it became clear that the Toulouse killer associated with al-Qaeda, a French citizen and his family has emigrant roots. How will this fact affect the domestic policy of the new president of France, whose name will become known in a month?
- I must say that both President Shirak, and after him, the President of Sarkozi has tried to respond to the situation that has developed in the country as a result of a powerful influx of emigrants, including from Arab countries. So the next reaction, I am sure, I have to wait.
- Do you predict toughening politics in relation to emigrants?
- All measures that have been being taken in France have been taking toughening in the line. Recall the ban on wearing burns. But we must understand that in France the situation in this sense is very difficult. Once President de Gaulle showed political will and stopped the war in Algeria, then the process of decolonizing the African states, including former French colonies, went. Nevertheless, France still experiences a certain complex of guilt before these colonies. Hence - lightweight access to the country of immigrants from former colonies, and, accordingly, a huge influx of emigrants.
- Are anti -mass mood sentiments strong in the emigrant environment?
- I must say, this is not the first anti -Semitic trick in France. Indeed, most often their participants are immigrants from the emigrant environment, first of all, Arabic - it is clear why. But, we must admit that there were cases when ethnic Frenchmen and ethnic French were responsible for such anti -Semitic tricks.
- That complex of guilt in front of the former colonies that you talked about, is this state policy or self -awareness of society?
- I do not think that society is experiencing this complex. But the state behaves as guilty to its former colonies. This, by the way, is not only French phenomenon. Look at other former metropolis - England, Holland ...
- Can we say that today this humanistic approach of states to immigrants from former colonies does not meet understanding in society?
- Undoubtedly. Of course, the authorities to some extent manage to cope with dissatisfaction, but it breaks out here and there.
- Will, in your opinion, will be able to remain faithful to their humanistic principles, despite the tragedies like Toulouse?
- I would like. But I think that it will be harder and harder. I'm afraid to give optimistic forecasts.
Radio Liberty monitors events in France.
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Lyudmila Vasina
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Nari Ovsepyan
Radio Freedom editor. I still love fairy tales, Gerald Darrell, and I do not like cinema about the war