Latest news with #Var
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
France probes terror motive after man shoots dead Tunisian neighbour
The shooting happened late Saturday in Puget-sur-Argens in the Var region. (Reuters pic) NICE : French prosecutors today were probing a terror motive after a man who had posted racist videos shot dead his Tunisian neighbour and badly wounded a Turkish citizen in the south of the country. The shooting late Saturday in Puget-sur-Argens in the Var region comes after a Malian man was stabbed to death in April in a mosque, also in southern France, as concern grows over hate crimes against Muslims. The shooting was initially investigated by regional prosecutors as a suspected murder motivated by the victim's ethnicity or religion. But French national anti-terror prosecutors (PNAT) announced Monday that they would be taking over the investigation. The suspected killer, a 53-year-old who is French, fled the scene in a car but was arrested not far away after his partner alerted police. He posted videos with racist content before and after the shooting late on Saturday, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier. The Tunisian man killed, believed to be 35 years old, was shot five times. The Turkish citizen, 25, was wounded in the hand and hospitalised, the prosecutor said. A sports shooting enthusiast, the suspect 'posted two videos on his social media account containing racist and hateful content before and after his attack', he added. The PNAT prosecutors said today that they had opened an investigation into a 'terrorist plot' motivated by the race or religion of the victims. 'The racist nature of this double crime is beyond doubt, given the hateful remarks made by the killer,' said SOS Racisme, an anti-discrimination NGO. 'This tragedy echoes a series of racist crimes that have occurred in recent months,' it said, denouncing a 'poisonous climate' in the country including the 'trivialisation of racist rhetoric'. Aboubakar Cisse of Mali was stabbed dozens of times while attending prayers at the mosque in the southern French town of La Grand-Combe on April 25. A French national of Bosnian origin accused of carrying out the attack surrendered to Italian authorities after three days on the run. Italy then extradited him to France to face justice. Interior minister Bruno Retailleau was bitterly criticised for never travelling to the scene of that crime to show solidarity, while PNAT anti-terror prosecutors also came under fire for not taking over the case and instead leaving it to regular criminal prosecutors.
CNA
3 days ago
- General
- CNA
France probes terror motive after man shoots dead Tunisian neighbour
NICE: French prosecutors were on Monday (Jun 2) probing a terror motive after a man who had posted racist videos shot dead his Tunisian neighbour and badly wounded a Turkish man in the south of France. The shooting late on Saturday in Puget-sur-Argens, in the southern region of Var, came after a Malian man was stabbed to death in April in a mosque, also in southern France, as concern grows over hate crimes against Muslims. The shooting was initially investigated by regional prosecutors as a suspected murder motivated by the victim's ethnicity or religion. But French national anti-terror prosecutors, known by their French acronym PNAT, announced on Monday that they would be taking over the investigation. The suspect wanted to "disrupt public order through terror", according to a source close to the case. The suspected killer, a Frenchman born in 1971, fled the scene in a car but was arrested not far away after his partner alerted police. He posted videos with racist content before and after the shooting late on Saturday, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier. The victim, who was born in 1979, was shot five times. The Turkish national was wounded in the hand and needed hospital treatment, the prosecutor said. "SWORE ALLEGIANCE TO FRENCH FLAG" The suspect, a sports shooting enthusiast, "posted two videos on his social media account containing racist and hateful content before and after his attack", the prosecutor said. According to French daily Le Parisien, the suspect 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. The PNAT prosecutors said on Monday that they had opened an investigation into a "terrorist plot" motivated by the race or religion of the victims. "The racist nature of this double crime is beyond doubt, given the hateful remarks made by the killer," said SOS Racisme, an anti-discrimination NGO. "This tragedy echoes a series of racist crimes that have occurred in recent months," it said, denouncing a "poisonous climate" in the country including the "trivialisation of racist rhetoric". Aboubakar Cisse of Mali was stabbed dozens of times while attending prayers at the mosque in the southern French town of La Grand-Combe on Apr 25. A French national of Bosnian origin accused of carrying out the attack surrendered to Italian authorities after three days on the run. Italy then extradited him to France to face justice. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau was bitterly criticised for never travelling to the scene of that crime to show solidarity, while PNAT anti-terror prosecutors also came under fire for not taking over the case and instead leaving it to regular criminal prosecutors. On Monday, Retailleau denounced the murder of a Tunisian man, calling it a "racist act". "Racism in France and elsewhere is a poison, and we can see that it is a poison that kills," Retailleau told reporters. "Every racist act is an anti-French act." He added that he had spoken on the phone with the Tunisian ambassador to France. He later spoke to his Tunisian counterpart, Khaled Nouri, who "condemned a terrorist crime", according to an official government statement.
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
France probes terror motive after man shoots dead Tunisian neighbor
French prosecutors were on Monday probing a terror motive after a man who had posted racist videos shot dead his Tunisian neighbor and badly wounded a Turkish man in the south of France. The shooting late on Saturday in Puget-sur-Argens, in the southern region of Var, came after a Malian man was stabbed to death in April in a mosque, also in southern France, as concern grows over hate crimes against Muslims. The shooting was initially investigated by regional prosecutors as a suspected murder motivated by the victim's ethnicity or religion. But French national anti-terror prosecutors, known by their French acronym PNAT, announced on Monday that they would be taking over the investigation. The suspect wanted to 'disrupt public order through terror,' according to a source close to the case. The suspected killer, a Frenchman born in 1971, fled the scene in a car but was arrested not far away after his partner alerted police. He posted videos with racist content before and after the shooting late on Saturday, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier. The victim, who was born in 1979, was shot five times. The Turkish national was wounded in the hand and needed hospital treatment, the prosecutor said. 'Swore allegiance to French flag' The suspect, a sports shooting enthusiast, 'posted two videos on his social media account containing racist and hateful content before and after his attack,' the prosecutor said. According to French daily Le Parisien, the suspect 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. The PNAT prosecutors said on Monday that they had opened an investigation into a 'terrorist plot' motivated by the race or religion of the victims. 'The racist nature of this double crime is beyond doubt, given the hateful remarks made by the killer,' said SOS Racisme, an anti-discrimination NGO. 'This tragedy echoes a series of racist crimes that have occurred in recent months,' it said, denouncing a 'poisonous climate' in the country including the 'trivialisation of racist rhetoric'. Aboubakar Cisse of Mali was stabbed dozens of times while attending prayers at the mosque in the southern French town of La Grand-Combe on April 25. A French national of Bosnian origin accused of carrying out the attack surrendered to Italian authorities after three days on the run. Italy then extradited him to France to face justice. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau was bitterly criticised for never travelling to the scene of that crime to show solidarity, while PNAT anti-terror prosecutors also came under fire for not taking over the case and instead leaving it to regular criminal prosecutors. On Monday, Retailleau denounced the murder of a Tunisian man, calling it a 'racist act'. 'Racism in France and elsewhere is a poison, and we can see that it is a poison that kills,' Retailleau told reporters. 'Every racist act is an anti-French act.' He added that he had spoken on the phone with the Tunisian ambassador to France. He later spoke to his Tunisian counterpart, Khaled Nouri, who 'condemned a terrorist crime,' according to an official government statement. Nouri urged French authorities to 'ensure the protection of the Tunisian community on French territory,' the Tunisian statement added.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Hundreds without drinking water and more storms forecast in southern French region devastated by deadly floods
Communities in southern France are bracing for thunderstorms days after flooding devastated towns, leaving 1,000 people in one area without drinking water. Residents in Le Lavandou, a commune in the southeastern region of Var, where three people were killed and infrastructure was heavily damaged in the floods, have been warned it could be until next weekend to have drinking water restored, France Bleu reported. As authorities work round-the-clock to restore water supplies and address the major damage to roads, bridges and train tracks, the region has now been put under another weather warning. The yellow warning for thunderstorms and possible flooding will be in place from 7 until 10pm in the Var region and the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region neighbouring it to the north. The Alpes Maritimes region on the southeast tip of France will be under the same warning from 4pm. Flooding in the region is not forecast to be as severe as earlier in the week, where the storms have left Var residents mourning the death of three pensioners who were swept away while in their vehicles in two separate incidents. One 81-year-old woman was swept away in her vehicle in Vidauban, and died after her vehicle dropped into a ditch on a submerged country road. She was the passenger of the car - but the driver survived after a dramatic rescue effort by plumber Olivier De Vecchi. "I ran out of the car. By the time I arrived, the car had started to float under the current,' Mr De Vecchi told BFMTV. 'I ran all the way for at least 70 meters. I saw the two women in the car. I told them to get out, but they told me they couldn't.' Only the driver was able to get out of the car by holding onto the branches of a tree. "I told her to stay where she was, that I would come back, she replied that she was in pain and that she was going to let go, I said 'no, above all, don't let go'', he said. "I ran behind the estate, there was a large eight-meter-long tube, I put it across the river, that allowed me to get to the water safely to rescue this woman.' The passenger died, Mr De Vecchie said. "At the time, I didn't realise it". Frederique, a Vidauban resident, thought she would die when her car became submerged on a country road. "My car took off, it slid, it was like I was in a boat,' she told BFMTV. The water was getting higher and higher. I called the police, the fire brigade and my boyfriend, but no one came and the water was up to my chest. I thought I was going to die.' Another couple aged 85 and 84, died after their vehicle was swept away when trying to leave the Le Lavandou area, local authorities said.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Ping-pong sized hail hits Toulouse as flooding kills three in southern France
Ping-pong-sized hail bounced off a trampoline in the Toulouse area as deadly flooding struck southern France this week. Three pensioners died after heavy rains hit the southeastern Var region on Tuesday, where floods caused widespread damage to roads, bridges and buildings in the region. Dramatic footage from Monday (19 May) shows huge hailstones hitting a garden in Capens. Flooding has caused significant damage to the Var region in southeast France, causing power outages and damage to train tracks as water surged through the streets.
