Brother of spree shooter on trial for helping to plan killings in France
Five years ago, Mohamed Merah went on a nine-day shooting spree in southern France, killing three soldiers and gunning down a teacher and three children at a Jewish school before being shot dead by police.
Yesterday, his brother’s trial opened under tight security in Paris, where he faces charges of helping to plan the assault.
Abdelkader Merah is the first to face a trial arising from the wave of Islamist attacks in France.
Judges now want to determine the exact role of his 35-year-old brother, who stands accused of knowingly helping in the preparation of the attack, in particular by stealing a scooter used for the three separate shootings.
He appeared beside Fettah Malki, 34, accused of giving Mohamed Merah a bulletproof jacket, an Uzi submachine-gun and ammunition.
Neither man denies giving Merah the items, but both have claimed they were unaware of his intentions.
Abdelkader faces a possible life sentence, while Malki could get 20 years in prison.
Mohamed Merah was killed in a police raid on his flat, in the city of Toulouse, after a 32-hour siege in March 2012. He had been questioned by French intelligence services over trips to Syria, Egypt and Pakistan which he did not deny, although he claimed they were simply tourism.
Abdelkader’s defence hopes to call France’s former domestic intelligence chief, Bernard Squarcini.
Prosecutors claim the brothers were in contact in the days before the killings.