Toulouse and Montauban shootings

2012 Midi-Pyrénées shootings
Toulouse Montauban Location of Toulouse and Montauban, France
Location	Midi-Pyrénées region: Toulouse and Montauban
Date	11 March 2012 (2012-03-11) – 22 March 2012 (2012-03-22)
Target	French soldiers and Jewish civilians
Attack type	Shootings
Weapons	.45 ACP
Deaths	8 (4 civilians, 3 soldiers; perpetrator)
Injured	4
Perpetrator	Mohammed Merah

The 2012 Midi-Pyrénées shootings were a series of three gun attacks targeting French soldiers and Jewish civilians, in the cities of Montauban and Toulouse in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France. In total, seven people were killed and others seriously injured. Police identified the perpetrator as a 23-year-old French Muslim named Mohammed Merah, who claimed ties to Islamist militant group al-Qaeda. After a 30-hour siege by French police, Merah was shot in the head by a police sniper as he jumped out of the window of the flat after attempts to arrest him failed.

The first attack occurred on 11 March, when a French paratrooper, Master Sergeant Imad Ibn-Ziaten, also a French Muslim, was shot dead outside of a gym in Toulouse. The second occurred on 15 March, during which two uniformed soldiers, Corporal Abel Chennouf, and Private Mohamed Legouad, were killed and another seriously injured in a shopping center in Montauban. On 19 March, a further attack occurred at the Ozar Hatorah Jewish day school, where four people (including three children) were killed. The gunman fled on a motor scooter.

Following the shooting, the French government raised Vigipirate, France's terror alert, in the Midi-Pyrénées region, and a couple of surrounding departements, to its highest possible level.

During a siege and gun battle, on 22 March, the perpetrator was shot and killed by the police.

Attacks

The shootings were connected and were perpetrated by Mohammed Merah (see below). The authorities determined that all of the attacks involved the same weapon, a .45 pistol. In all three attacks, the helmeted shooter arrived and left on the same stolen scooter.

Two of the three soldiers killed were Muslims.

11 March: Paratrooper in Toulouse

On 11 March, Master Sergeant Imad Ibn-Ziaten, 30, an off-duty paratrooper in the 1st Parachute Logistics Regiment (1er régiment du train parachutiste) was killed when he was shot in the head at point-blank range outside a gym in Toulouse. At the time Ibn-Ziaten was waiting to meet someone who had claimed to be interested in buying a motorcycle from him; however, it is suspected that the supposed buyer attacked him instead. The perpetrator was described as wearing a helmet and riding a motorcycle.

15 March: Two soldiers in Montauban

On Thursday, 15 March, at around 14:00, two uniformed soldiers were killed and a third was seriously injured outside a shopping centre in Montauban, around 50 km north of Toulouse, while withdrawing money from a cash machine. They were all from the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment (17e régiment du génie parachutiste), whose barracks are close to the town. Corporal Abel Chennouf, 24, and Private Mohamed Legouad, 23, both of North African origin, were killed. Corporal Loïc Liber, 28, from Guadeloupe, was left in a coma. The killer was on a moped and wearing a black helmet, according to security cameras. It is reported that an elderly woman, who was waiting to withdraw money from the cash machine, was pushed aside by the killer while he was taking aim.

19 March: Ozar Hatorah school in Toulouse

The type of scooter used in the shootings, a Yamaha TMAX

Background

The Ozar Hatorah school in Toulouse is part of a national chain of at least twenty Jewish schools throughout France, educating children of primarily Sephardic, Middle Eastern and North African descent. The school is a middle and secondary school, with most children in the age range of 11 to 17 years, and it is also a transportation hub for other schools. Many parents bring their younger children to Ozar Hatorah, and place them on shuttle buses that travel to the other schools in the area.

Shootings

At about 8:00 AM, a man drove up to the Ozar Hatorah school on a Yamaha TMAX. He dismounted, and immediately opened fire toward the schoolyard. The first victim was a rabbi and teacher at the school who was shot outside the school gates as he tried to shield his two young sons from the gunman. The gunman shot one of the boys as he crawled away, as his father and brother lay dying on the pavement. He then walked into the schoolyard, chasing people into the building. Inside, he shot at staff, parents, and students. The killer chased a 7-year-old girl into the courtyard, caught her by her hair and raised a gun to shoot her. The gun jammed at this point and Merah changed weapons from what the police identified as a 9-mm pistol to a .45 calibre gun, and shot the girl in her temple at point-blank range. The gunman then retrieved his moped and drove off.

Police cordoned off the area, escorting parents, children and staff out of the school. Security was increased in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Many Jewish institutions were already under continuous protection, but as a result of this act of terrorism, streets in France that have Jewish institutions on them were closed to traffic. The President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, as well as other candidates in the presidential elections, immediately traveled to Toulouse and to the school and the election campaign was suspended. Sarkozy called for a minute of silence in all schools the following day.

Victims

Four people died, including 30-year-old Rabbi Jonathan (Yonatan) Sandler, his two oldest (out of three) children Aryeh, aged 6, and Gabriel, aged 3; and the head teacher's daughter, eight-year-old Myriam Monsonego, who was shot in the head at point-blank range. Aaron Bijaoui, a 17-year-old Jewish boy, was gravely injured. A .45 round passed through the boy's left arm and then right through his torso, skimming his heart and puncturing his lungs and stomach.

The bodies of all four dead were flown out on 20 March from Toulouse to Paris and subsequently from Paris to Israel, where they were buried by family members at the Har HaMenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem. The two deceased children of Sandler were dual French-Israeli citizens, as are Sandler's widow and surviving child.

International reactions

"Mourning" flags of the European Union, France and Midi-Pyrénées on the Capitole de Toulouse after the attacks.

Supranational organizations

• European Union – The European Union's High Representative Baroness Ashton said, "When we think about what happened today in Toulouse, we remember what happened in Norway a year ago, when we know what is happening in Syria, and we see what is happening in Gaza and Sderot and in different parts of the world – we remember young people and children who lose their lives." Israeli ministers harshly criticised her comparison of the murder of three children and a rabbi in the shooting attack to the situation in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "It is unthinkable to compare a massacre and the Israeli army’s surgical, defensive actions against those who use children as human shields." Lady Ashton said that the press reporting of her speech made to Palestinian youths at an UNRWA event was "grossly distorted". She noted that she also referenced Israeli victims in Sderot, but this was incorrectly omitted from the original transcript.
• United Nations – The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, condemned the killings "in the strongest possible terms." Ban was "saddened by the tragic deaths" of the children killed in the shooting.

Countries

• Argentina – The Minister of Foreign Relations Héctor Timerman condemned the "racial and criminal" attacks, claiming that they are a threat to multi-ethnicity.
• Belgium – The interior minister, Joelle Milquet, ordered the Belgian police forces to be "particularly vigilant" around Jewish schools and buildings in the country. The Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said that he learned about the shootings in France "with horror and indignation."
• Brazil – The Israelian Confederation in Brazil condemned the attacks with "the most profound indignation," and claimed that the attacks were "inadmissible acts of violence and cowardness."
• Canada – Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said that the country of Canada "unequivocally condemns the cowardly and murderous attack" in front of the Jewish school. In addition, he mentioned that Canada "stands with the people and the government of France" in the difficult times.
• Chile – The Palestinian Federation of Chile condemned the attacks, and expressed its condolences to the families, friends, and anyone who professes Judaism. In addition, they mentioned that they will never tolerate attacks that try to impose political interests and have "alleged religious convictions."
• El Salvador – The government of El Salvador condemned the attacks and send its condolences to the families of the victims. Moreover, El Salvador reiterated its rejection of "violence, ethical and cultural intolerance, and calamities that alter the democratic order" of the world nations.
• France – The attacks were condemned by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and French Prime Minister François Fillon, they attended a service at the Grand Synagogue of Paris. President Nicolas Sarkozy said that it was obvious that it was an anti-Semitic attack and pledged to meet Jewish and Muslim community leaders. He said, "I want to say to all the leaders of the Jewish community, how close we feel to them. All of France is by their side." Sarkozy also sent his condolences to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the loss.
• Germany – The German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said that he was "profoundly shocked by the murderous attack."
• Israel – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned the "despicable anti-Semitic" murders, and lashed out at the UN Human Rights Council which met, on the same day as the killings, with representatives of Hamas. Netanyahu said, "What do you (UN Human Rights Council) know of human rights? You should be ashamed of yourself!", and that "I haven't heard any condemnation [of the attack] from the U.N." Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, "Only a person of Satanic evil can commit such a horrific murder of small children in a school."
• Italy – Francesco Profumo, Italian Minister of Education: "The children who died in the massacre of Toulouse are not children of other land and another country. They are our children and they are also victims. Death is a monster that runs not only France but also Italy, Europe and the world". In all Italian schools on 21 March was held one minute's silence in memory of victims of Toulouse. The Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti condemned the killings and said that "anti-Semitism ran contrary to all human values." He expressed his condolences to the Jewish community and with France, saying that "anti-Semitism, xenophobia and intolerance are utterly contrary to the...values that underlie all of humanity."
• Mexico – Following the attacks, the Mexican government sent its condolences to Nicolas Sarkozy and the families of the victims. Through the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the Mexican government "energetically condemned" the killings, and Felipe Calderon's administration "reaffirmed its repudiation" for these acts of violence and manifestations of "racial and religious discrimination."
• Netherlands – The country's government stepped up to reinforce security in Jewish buildings and schools.
• Norway – Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg sent a letter to the French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, in which he condemned the attacks and expressed his sorrow and sympathy with the relatives and the French people. Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said "It is with dismay that I have received news of several killings of civilians and soldiers in France. Norway supports France's struggle against racism, antisemitism and all forms of hate crime. It is extra painful to think that more children have been exposed to the worst imaginable."
• Pakistan – Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said after the attacks that "terrorism could not be condoned under any circumstances." In his statement, he also mentioned that "Pakistan would continue to working relentlessly to eliminate the scourge of terrorism," and that "all countries should work closely" to fight this menace.
• Palestinian authority – The Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat condemned the attacks that killed four people at a Jewish school, saying: "We strongly condemn all terrorist operations, and in particular the attack today in Toulouse."
• Poland – The Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski condemned the attacks and said that he "shares the grief of the victims' families and the Jewish community in France." He emphasized that such "terrorist acts" are never justified and must meet "unequivocal condemnation by the civilized world."
• Singapore – The government of Singapore condemned the shootings and "conveyed its deepest condolences and symapthies" to the families of those affected. In addition, Singapore reiterated that it "firmly supports" the French government in its efforts against terrorism.
• Spain – The Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, sent a telegraph to Sarkozy lamenting the killings, and offered his support for the arrests of those responsible for the "cruel" acts.
• Sweden – Lena Posner-Koeroesi, who heads the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, said that Sweden raised its security measures in several Jewish institutions following the attacks.
• Turkey – The Turkish embassy in Paris condemned "with firmness and vehemently" the attacks that occurred in Toulouse.
• United Kingdom – The British Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the fatal shootings in France and categorized them as "senseless acts of brutality and cowardice." Cameron wrote to Nicolas Sarkozy to express his dismay at the shootings.
• United States – At the White House Press Office, U.S. President Barack Obama's United States National Security Council spokesperson Tommy Vietor, in an official statement, said: "We were deeply saddened to learn of the horrific attack this morning against the teachers and students of a Jewish school in the French city of Toulouse. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims, and we stand with a community in grief. We join the Government of France in condemning this unprovoked and outrageous act of violence in the strongest possible terms." President Obama called President Sarkozy to offer "personal condolences" on his own behalf as well as that of U.S. citizens. After the call, the office of President Sarkozy issued a statement affirming that "France and the United States are more determined than ever to fight together against terrorist barbarism."
• Uruguay – The Central Israelian Committee of Uruguay condemned the attacks, and mentioned that "all of society should cry out" for the lost lives.
• Vatican City – Official spokesperson of the Vatican, the Rev. Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., said the 19 March shooting was "a horrible and shameful act".
• Venezuela – The Confederation of Israelites Association in Venezuela repudiated the "irrational extremist" attacks, and called the Jewish community and the world to mourn the killings. It then mentioned that the "perpetrators and the masterminds" of the shootings to be brought to justice to "prevent this tragic situation to occur again."

Mohammed Merah

Main article: Mohammed Merah

Mohammed Merah
Born	(1988-10-10)10 October 1988 Toulouse, France
Died	22 March 2012(2012-03-22) (aged 23) Toulouse, France
Citizenship	France
Occupation	Mechanic
Family	Two brothers, two sisters

Mohammed Merah (10 October 1988 – 22 March 2012) was identified as the gunman in the shootings. He was a Muslim French citizen, born to a French father and French mother, both of Algerian descent.

Earlier life

Merah was known to French authorities because he had traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was unemployed at the time of the shootings, after having worked as a coachbuilder. Merah had a long record as a juvenile delinquent with 15 convictions, according to a regional French prosecutor.

In 2008 he tried to join the army but was rejected. Then in 2010 he went to the recruitment center of the Foreign Legion, stayed overnight but decided to leave before he could be evaluated.

According to Merah's lawyer, he was sentenced to a month in prison on 24 February after driving without a driver's licence, and was due before the judge again in April.

The French newspaper JDD reported after speaking to his friends, that he was seen as a "nice guy" who "got on well with everyone". One of his friends said that Merah had been seen in a Toulouse night club three weeks before the attacks.

Manhunt

Departements where Vigipirate terror alert was raised to its highest level.

The killings spurred one of the biggest manhunts in modern French history. Because of the ethnic identities of the victims, most of whom were of Jewish or Arab descent, police initially suspected the involvement of neo-Nazis. Since he drew little attention to himself otherwise, police faced an uphill struggle in focusing in on Merah as a suspect, even as the killings continued. Merah had taken care to ensure that the magazine and shell casings he left offered no fingerprints or DNA. However, the search for Sergeant Ibn Ziaten's bogus motorbike buyer was homing in on the Merahs' computer, as cross-checks revealed that the Toulouse woman who owned the IP address had two sons on the anti-terrorism watchlist. The hunt for the gunman's scooter also took a decisive turn when Merah asked a motorcycle mechanic in Toulouse about removing a GPS anti-theft tracking device on his bike. Merah also said that he had just repainted the bike white. It had previously been black.

Siege and death

Around 01:00 on 21 March 2012, Merah telephoned France 24, telling a journalist that he had filmed the murders and that he had posted the footage online. He said that he was connected with al Qaeda and that what he had done was only the beginning. He said that he was motivated by France's ban on wearing the Burka and that "the Jews have killed our brothers and sisters in Palestine." At 03:00 local time (02:00 UTC), the French police tried to arrest Merah at his apartment on Sergent Vigné Street in the Côte Pavée neighborhood. Merah shot at the police through the door, injuring three police officers in the process.

The R.A.I.D., an elite anti-terrorist unit, surrounded the 1960s five-storey block of flats 10 minutes later. The Minister of the Interior Claude Guéant stated that Merah appeared to have no particular demands. Reports suggest that Merah was armed with an AK-47, an Uzi, several handguns and possibly grenades. Further weapons were found in a rented Renault Megane parked near the apartment building. Merah had previously exchanged a Colt 45 for a walkie-talkie which was used to communicate with the police. The five-story building block and nearby buildings were evacuated and the police turned powerful spotlights onto Merah's building in an attempt to blind him and prevent him from observing the police operations. The electricity and gas supplies were cut off to the apartment block and the street lights in the neighbourhood were switched off. One of Merah's brothers was arrested, and another handed himself into custody. His mother was brought to the scene to help with negotiations, but she refused to become involved, due to her lack of influence on him.Merah informed the police that he intended to give himself up at 10.45pm. Contact was established with him at that time but Merah then said that he would not succumb without a fight and would kill policemen if necessary. In the late evening on 21 March, blasts were heard at the apartment block which were intended to intimidate the gunman into surrendering." The police blew off the window shutters with a grenade, after which two shots were heard. After that there was no response from the Merah until 11am the next day. The police continued the explosions at regular intervals, in an effort to wear down Merah. Officers did not know if Merah was alive as he did not respond to the series of explosions on during the night and on Thursday morning.

At 10.30 on 22 March, the decision was taken to arrest him. Grenades were thrown into the apartment but elicited no response. A 15-strong team of specially trained officers decided to enter the flat first by the door, then using the windows whose shutters had been removed during the night. The team deployed technical devices and video equipment to inspect the different rooms. No presence was detected until a device was introduced into the bathroom. At that point the killer emerged shooting long and frequent bursts. The officers returned fire and snipers opposite attempted to neutralise him. Mohammed Merah then jumped out of the window with weapon in hand and continued to shoot. Merah was shot in the head by a police sniper and he was found dead on the floor.

Less than one hour later it was announced to media in Toulouse that Merah was dead. Merah's death was later confirmed by Sarkozy. AFP reported that three police officers had been injured in the preceding gunfire, one of whom sustained "fairly serious" wounds. It was discovered that Merah had a bulletproof vest, components of Molotov cocktails and weapons parts stockpiled inside of his flat.

Motivation

Merah boasted to police negotiators on Wednesday night that he had "brought France to its knees". He said that his only regret was not having been able to execute more killings. He said that his motives for the attacks were for the honor of Islam, to avenge the deaths of Palestinian children (by attacking the Jewish school) and to attack the French army for its involvement in Afghanistan. He was antagonised by the French ban on the burka. Merah filmed all of his murders using a GoPro camera strapped to his body and according to the French prosecutor, he can be heard saying "you killed my brothers, I kill you", and "Allahu Akbar" during the executions. According to Interior Minister Claude Guéant, Merah claimed to be a member of al-Qaeda.