A French police officer will face trial over the killing of a teen that set off nationwide riots
The prosecutor's office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where victim Nahel Merzouk grew up and was killed in 2023, said in a statement that magistrates decided Tuesday to send the police officer to trial after a two-year investigation.
The officer, identified in legal documents only as Florian M., was initially detained but released a few months later pending further investigation. He is expected to face trial in the third quarter of 2026, the prosecutor's office said.
Merzouk's family and lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the announcement.
The teenager was shot during a traffic stop in Nanterre. Video showed two officers at the window of the Mercedes the youth was driving, one with his gun pointed at Merzouk. As the car pulled forward, the officer fired once.
After the killing, Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude that the officer's use of his weapon was not legally justified.
Protests over his killing spread around France and some turned violent, with stores looted and public buildings torched. Thousands of people were arrested as the government ratcheted up its law enforcement response to quell the unrest, and hundreds of people were injured. In related protests in the overseas territory of French Guiana in South America, a 54-year-old died after being hit by a stray bullet.
The reaction to the killing was a potent reminder of the persistent poverty, discrimination, unemployment and other lack of opportunity in neighborhoods around France where many residents trace their roots to former French colonies.
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North Wales Chronicle
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18 minutes ago
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Metro
18 minutes ago
- Metro
Titan sub pilot Stockton Rush could have faced criminal charges if he survived
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The Polar Prince and 106 Rescue Wing continues to conduct surface searches throughout Monday evening. A Canadian Aircraft P3 Aurora joins the effort, as the search area expands to 10,000sqm. 6pm: US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger tell reporters it is a 'challenge' to conduct a search in such a remote area. 6am: It is reported that 'noises' have are heard by sonar crews searching for the missing sub, giving fresh hope that passengers are still alive. 8pm: Captain Jamie Frederick says noises heard on Tuesday have also been heard today, but search teams 'don't know what they are'. 8pm: The US Coast Guard provides a prediction of the time it thinks oxygen will run out in the Titan: 7.08am local time. 9.30pm: A French ship named the Atalante, which is sent over on President Emmanuel Macron's orders, arrives to join the search. 7am: 10 ships and remote submarines are in the area, doubling the size of the operation. 12.08pm/1pm: The Titan's oxygen supply is due to run out. 3.45pm: Victor 6000, the underwater robot dubbed the 'last hope' for missing Titanic sub, is deployed to help the search. 4.55pm: A 'debris field' is discovered within the search area for the missing Titan submersible, the US Coast Guard announces. 7.55pm: The US Coast Guard says the Titan submersible was destroyed by a 'catastrophic implosion' with the loss of all five people aboard. Again in 2018 more than 35 industry leaders and deep-sea explorers wrote an open letter to Mr Rush warning that his 'experimental' attitude towards getting the Titan mission off the ground could bring catastrophic results, The New York Times reported. More Trending Mr Rush claimed the industry players were trying to use a 'safety argument' to 'stop innovation'. According to today's report, a contractor hired in 2022 voiced 'numerous safety concerns' to a company director. The contractor was then reportedly told: 'You have a bad attitude, you don't have an explorer mindset, you know, we're innovative and we're cowboys, and a lot of people can't handle that.' That same year, Mr Rush said 'at some point, safety is just pure waste' during an interview with CBS. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. 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