Mohammed Merah
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (March 2012) |
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into 2012 Midi-Pyrénées shootings. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2012. |
Mohammed Merah | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 October 1988 |
| Nationality | Algerian |
| Citizenship | French |
| Family | Three brothers, two sisters[1] |
Mohammed Merah (10 October 1988 in Toulouse)[2] is the suspect in the 2012 Midi-Pyrénées shootings. He is a French citizen of Algerian origin.[3]
Earlier Life
Merah was known to French authorities because he had traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan.[4] He was allegedly arrested in Kandahar in 2007 and sentenced to three years in jail for planting bombs. But Merah allegedly managed to flee during the 2008 Sarposa prison attack.[5] Kandahar authorities have denied that he has ever been in their custody.
In 2010 he tried to apply for the French Foreign Legion, but was rejected.[3]
According to the suspect's lawyer, he was sentenced to a month in prison at the end of February after driving without a driving licence and was due before the judge again in April.
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Motivation
French authorities have quoted Merah as saying that his motives for the attacks were to avenge Palestinian children by attacking the Jewish school and attack the French army for its involvement in Afghanistan by shooting the French paratroopers.[3] According to Gueant, Merah claims to be a member of al-Qaeda.[4]
The BBC reported: You should not lose sight of the fact that Monday, the day of the killings at the Jewish school, was the 50th anniversary of the end of the Algerian war, an event not marked in any official way in France, but certainly remembered by Algerians.
References
- ^ Qui est Mohammed Merah
- ^ "Tuerie Toulouse: voici le portrait du suspect". RTL.BE. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
- ^ a b c "Raid on Toulouse shooting suspect". BBC. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
aj-1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "French shooting suspect had escaped from Afghan prison". Reuters. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2012.