Tunisian Man Killed in France, Family Seeks Justice
TUNIS: The sister of a Tunisian man shot dead in France called for justice on Tuesday, saying her brother was on a video call with family when he was killed.
Hichem Miraoui, 46, was killed on Saturday in Puget-sur-Argens in southern France when a neighbour shot him five times.
'I want justice for my brother, the victim of a terrorist act,' Hanen Miraoui said in a telephone call from France, where she lives.
She urged Tunisian authorities to 'stand by Tunisians in France and closely follow the case so that justice is done for my brother'.
She said Hichem was in a video call with family, including their mother in Tunisia, when he was shot.
'We were discussing Eid preparations,' she said. 'He was joking with our sick mother when I heard him grunt and the call ended.'
The suspect, now in police custody, had posted two racist videos online and intended to 'disturb public order through terror', a source close to the investigation told AFP.
French authorities said he had also wounded another neighbour, a Turkish national.
France's national anti-terrorism prosecutor confirmed a suspect had been detained on Monday.
Hanen said the suspect 'was known in my brother's neighbourhood for his hatred of Arabs'.
She said six weeks before his death, Hichem found graffiti on his Vespa reading 'dirty Arab'.
He will be buried in their hometown of Kairouan in central Tunisia, she added.
Tunisian Interior Minister Khaled Nouri condemned the killing in a phone call with his French counterpart Bruno Retailleau, calling it a 'terrorist' act.
He said it caused 'deep outrage and sorrow among the Tunisian public' and stressed 'the need to protect the Tunisian community in France'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Explosion at US air base in Japan's Okinawa injures four soldiers
TOKYO, June 9 — An explosion injured four men at a Japanese facility for storing unexploded bombs at a US air base in Okinawa today, a fire official said, with their condition reportedly not critical. Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) members at the facility at Kadena Air Base were trying to wipe rust off items at the facility to re-assess if they were bombs, said local fire department official Akira Kamiunten. During that process there was an explosion that injured four male SDF members who were rushed to hospital, he told AFP. Jiji Press and other local media said none of the injuries was life-threatening. A defence ministry spokesman also confirmed reports of an explosion at Kadena Air Base, located on the main island of the southern region of Okinawa. During World War II, Japan used Okinawa as a buffer to slow US forces. More than a quarter of the main island's civilian population died in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. US occupation only ended there in 1972, under a mutual treaty that left American bases in place. Today, Okinawa contains 70 per cent of the land used for US bases in Japan, and more than half of the 50,000-strong US troop presence. — AFP
Daily Express
2 hours ago
- Daily Express
Trump travel ban in effect, citizens from 12 nations barred from US
Published on: Monday, June 09, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jun 09, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: The move is expected to disrupt refugee pathways and further restrict immigration as the Trump administration expands its crackdown on illegal entries. WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's sweeping new travel ban came into effect early Monday immediately after midnight, barring citizens from a dozen nations from entering the United States and reviving a divisive measure from his first term. The move is expected to disrupt refugee pathways and further restrict immigration as the Trump administration expands its crackdown on illegal entries. Advertisement Many of the nations covered by the restrictions have adversarial relations with the United States, such as Iran and Afghanistan, while others face severe crises, like Haiti and Libya. In announcing his restrictions last week, Trump said the new measure was spurred by a recent 'terrorist attack' on Jews in Colorado. The group had been protesting in solidarity with hostages held in Gaza when they were assaulted by a man the White House said had overstayed his visa. That attack, Trump said, 'underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted' or who overstay their visas. Advertisement The move bans all travel to the United States by nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, according to the White House. Trump also imposed a partial ban on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Some temporary work visas from those countries will be allowed. New countries could be added, Trump warned, 'as threats emerge around the world.' Mehria, a 23-year-old woman from Afghanistan who applied for refugee status, said the new rules have trapped her and many other Afghans in uncertainty. 'We gave up thousands of hopes and our entire lives... on a promise from America, but today we are suffering one hell after another,' she told AFP. World Cup, Olympics, diplomats excluded The ban will not apply to athletes competing in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, or in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Trump's order said. Nor will it apply to diplomats from the targeted countries. United Nations rights chief Volker Turk warned that 'the broad and sweeping nature of the new travel ban raises concerns from the perspective of international law.' US Democratic lawmakers and elected officials blasted the ban as draconian and unconstitutional. 'I know the pain that Trump's cruel and xenophobic travel bans inflict because my family has felt it firsthand,' congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, who is Iranian-American, posted Sunday on X. 'We will fight this ban with everything we have.' Rumors of a new travel ban had circulated following the Colorado attack, with Trump's administration vowing to pursue 'terrorists' living in the United States on visas. US officials said suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national according to court documents, was in the country illegally having overstayed a tourist visa, but that he had applied for asylum in September 2022. Trump's new travel ban notably does not include Egypt. His proclamation said Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and war-torn Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen lacked 'competent' central authorities for processing passports and vetting. Iran was included because it is a 'state sponsor of terrorism,' the order said. For the other countries, Trump's order cited an above-average likelihood that people would overstay their visas. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Trump travel ban in effect, citizens from 12 nations barred from US
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's sweeping new travel ban came into effect early Monday immediately after midnight, barring citizens from a dozen nations from entering the United States and reviving a divisive measure from his first term. The move is expected to disrupt refugee pathways and further restrict immigration as the Trump administration expands its crackdown on illegal entries. Many of the nations covered by the restrictions have adversarial relations with the United States, such as Iran and Afghanistan, while others face severe crises, like Haiti and Libya. In announcing his restrictions last week, Trump said the new measure was spurred by a recent 'terrorist attack' on Jews in Colorado. The group had been protesting in solidarity with hostages held in Gaza when they were assaulted by a man the White House said had overstayed his visa. That attack, Trump said, 'underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted' or who overstay their visas. The move bans all travel to the United States by nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, according to the White House. Trump also imposed a partial ban on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Some temporary work visas from those countries will be allowed. New countries could be added, Trump warned, 'as threats emerge around the world.' Mehria, a 23-year-old woman from Afghanistan who applied for refugee status, said the new rules have trapped her and many other Afghans in uncertainty. 'We gave up thousands of hopes and our entire lives... on a promise from America, but today we are suffering one hell after another,' she told AFP. World Cup, Olympics, diplomats excluded The ban will not apply to athletes competing in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, or in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Trump's order said. Nor will it apply to diplomats from the targeted countries. United Nations rights chief Volker Turk warned that 'the broad and sweeping nature of the new travel ban raises concerns from the perspective of international law.' US Democratic lawmakers and elected officials blasted the ban as draconian and unconstitutional. 'I know the pain that Trump's cruel and xenophobic travel bans inflict because my family has felt it firsthand,' congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, who is Iranian-American, posted Sunday on X. 'We will fight this ban with everything we have.' Rumors of a new travel ban had circulated following the Colorado attack, with Trump's administration vowing to pursue 'terrorists' living in the United States on visas. US officials said suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national according to court documents, was in the country illegally having overstayed a tourist visa, but that he had applied for asylum in September 2022. Trump's new travel ban notably does not include Egypt. His proclamation said Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and war-torn Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen lacked 'competent' central authorities for processing passports and vetting. Iran was included because it is a 'state sponsor of terrorism,' the order said. For the other countries, Trump's order cited an above-average likelihood that people would overstay their visas.
