Latest news with #FlorianM
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
French police officer to face trial over teen's killing that ignited 2023 riots
PARIS, June 4 — A French policeman who shot and killed a teenager at point-blank range in 2023 in a Paris suburb, sparking days of riots, is to go on trial charged with murder, a court said Tuesday. The trial of the officer, who has been charged with the murder of Nahel Merzouk, 17, could take place in the second or third quarter of 2026, the court in the Nanterre suburb, where the killing took place, said in a joint statement with investigating magistrates. The announcement coincides with rising tensions in France after attacks against Muslims in recent weeks, as well as the burning of a Quran in the south-east of the country. The officer, identified as Florian M., was released from custody in November 2023 after five months in detention. Mobile phone footage of an officer shooting Nahel inside a car during a traffic stop on a busy street went viral. The scene sparked anger and protests that degenerated into rioting and led to scenes of devastation nationwide. The police initially maintained that Nahel had driven his car at the officer. But this was contradicted by the video, which showed two officers standing at a stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at its driver. 'Nothing shows Florian M. was authorised in the circumstances to use his weapon, in violation of the principles of proportionality and absolute necessity,' according to the written order issued by two investigating magistrates for the trial, which was seen by AFP. 'Law applied' However legal proceedings were dropped against the accused officer's colleague who was present during the incident. He had been investigated as an 'assisted witness', which in the French system is one step before being charged. 'This order for a trial is both disappointing and not surprising,' said Laurent-Franck Lienard, Florian M.'s lawyer, explaining that the investigating judge was always likely to follow the prosecution's push for a trial. The lawyer told AFP he would lodge an appeal against the order. 'We maintain that the shooting was legitimate,' he said. Eric Henry, of the Alliance police union which has vigorously defended the actions of the police officer, told CNews TV the announcement of the trial sent 'a disastrous signal to our colleague, to the police world'. But Frank Berton, a lawyer for Nahel's mother Mounia Merzouk, said he was satisfied with the decision to move to a trial. 'We are just seeing the law being applied,' he said. 'Now all that remains is to convince the court.' The move to try the officer over the death of Nahel, who was of north African origin, comes as new tensions have emerged over racism and security in France. A man who had posted racist videos shot dead his Tunisian neighbour and badly wounded a Turkish man in the south of France at the weekend, and a Malian man was stabbed to death in a mosque in April. 'Racism is not France' Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who is taking an increasingly hard line on immigration issues, has faced accusations of not bring firm enough against such crimes and even fuelling a racist climate. But he said on Tuesday that the killing of Tunisian Hichem Miraoui in Puget-sur-Argens was 'clearly a racist crime,' 'probably also anti-Muslim,' and 'perhaps also a terrorist crime.' 'Racism is not France,' Retailleau told the National Assembly. According to Le Parisien newspaper, the suspect in that killing, who is under arrest, said he 'swore allegiance to the French flag' and called on the French to 'shoot' people of foreign origin in one of his videos posted on social media. Anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the investigation into the case, the first such racist attack linked to the far right to be dealt with as 'terrorism' since their office was set up in 2019. Meanwhile, a person stole a Quran on the night of Sunday to Monday from a mosque near the southeastern French city of Lyon and set it on fire, religious leaders and a police source said Tuesday. — AFP
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Cop to go on trial for murder of Nahel M
Nahel M's death provoked several nights of unrest in Nanterre and other cities across France. (AFP pic) PARIS : A French police officer charged with murder in the deadly shooting of a teenager in 2023 that sparked violent protests across the country will go on trial next year, the Nanterre prosecutor's office said on Tuesday. In March, prosecutors requested that one of two officers investigated over the June 27 shooting of 17-year-old Nahel M in the Paris suburb of Nanterre be put on trial. A charge of complicity in murder against the other officer was dropped. Investigating judges on Tuesday decided the trial of the officer, identified as Florian M, should take place in the Assize Court of the Hauts-de-Seine. Depending on whether there are appeals, the trial could take place in the second or the third quarter 2026, the statement from the Nanterre prosecutor's office said. Neither the policeman's lawyer, nor the lawyer for Nahel's family could be immediately reached for comment. The police officer fired at Nahel after the latter failed to comply with an order to stop his car. The boy, of North African descent, later died from his wounds. A video shared on social media, verified by Reuters, showed two police officers beside the car, a Mercedes-AMG, with one firing his weapon as the driver pulled away. Nahel's death and the video were shared on social media, drawing widespread anger and provoking several nights of unrest in Nanterre and other cities across France.
Arab News
3 days ago
- General
- Arab News
French policeman to go on trial over 2023 killing of teen that sparked riots
PARIS: The French policeman who shot and killed a teenager at point-blank range in 2023 outside Paris, sparking days of riots, is to go on trial on a murder charge, a court and prosecutors said Tuesday. The trial of the officer, who has been charged with the murder of Nahel M., 17, could take place in the second or third quarter of 2026, the court and prosecutor in the Paris suburb of Nanterre where the killing took place said in a joint statement. The officer, identified as Florian M., was released from custody in November 2023 after five months in detention. Mobile footage of him shooting Nahel inside a car during a traffic control on a busy street went viral. The anger sparked protests that degenerated into rioting and led to scenes of devastation nationwide. The police initially maintained that Nahel had driven his car at the officer but this was contradicted by the video, which showed two officers standing outside a stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at its driver. 'This order for a trial is both disappointing and not surprising,' said Laurent-Franck Lienard, the officer's lawyer. 'The investigating judge would have had to be courageous to take a different position than that of the prosecution' which pushed for the trial, the lawyer told AFP, adding that he would lodge an appeal against the order. 'We maintain that the shooting was legitimate,' he said. Frank Berton, the lawyer for Nahel's mother, expressed his 'satisfaction' over the move. 'We are just seeing the law being applied... Now all that remains is to convince the court,' he said. The move to try the officer over the death of Nahel, who was of north African origin, comes against the background of new tensions in France over racism and security. A man who had posted racist videos shot dead his Tunisian neighbor and badly wounded a Turkish man in the south of France at the weekend, and a Malian man was stabbed to death in a mosque in April. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who is taking an increasingly hard line on immigration issues, has faced accusations of not taking a strong enough stance against such crimes and even fueling a racist climate. But he said Monday that 'every racist act is an anti-French act.'
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
French police officer to go on trial for murder of teenager
A French police officer charged with murder in the deadly shooting of a teenager in 2023 that sparked violent protests across the country will go on trial next year, the Nanterre prosecutor's office said on Tuesday. In March, prosecutors requested that one of two officers investigated over the June 27 shooting of 17-year-old Nahel M. in the Paris suburb of Nanterre be put on trial. A charge of complicity in murder against the other officer was dropped. Investigating judges on Tuesday decided the trial of the officer, identified as Florian M, should take place in the Assize Court of the Hauts-de-Seine. Depending on whether there are appeals, the trial could take place in the second or the third quarter 2026, the statement from the Nanterre prosecutor's office said. Neither the policeman's lawyer, nor the lawyer for Nahel's family could be immediately reached for comment. The police officer fired at Nahel after the latter failed to comply with an order to stop his car. The boy, of North African descent, later died from his wounds. A video shared on social media, verified by Reuters, showed two police officers beside the car, a Mercedes-AMG, with one firing his weapon as the driver pulled away. Nahel's death and the video were shared on social media, drawing widespread anger and provoking several nights of unrest in Nanterre and other cities across France.
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
A French police officer will stand trial over the killing of a teen that sparked nationwide riots
A French police officer will face trial next year on charges of voluntary homicide over the killing of a 17-year-old of North African descent, a death that triggered nationwide riots. The prosecutor's office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where victim Nahel Merzouk grew up and was killed in 2023, announced 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 wasn't legally justified. Protests over his killing spread around France and some turned violent, with s tores 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.
