France Charges Mohamed Merah’s Brother For Murder, Terrorism

France has officially brought preliminary murder and terrorism charges against Abdelkader Merah, the brother of the man who murdered seven people in Toulouse, France last week. Mohamed Merah, 23, went on a shooting rampage last week, killing three soldiers, a Jewish teacher, and three Jewish school children. Mohamed died after being holed up in an apartment building for more than a day.

Abdelkader, 29, reportedly said he was proud of his brother, who died last Thursday. He is a suspected accomplice in the murders. Prosecutors have kept him in custody since Wednesday, and said that they have no current plans to release him.

A preliminary charge in France means that prosecutors have strong reason to believe a crime was committed. The preliminary filing allows them more time to fully investigate the matter.

The BBC reported that Abdelkader denies the accusations against him, although he does admit that he was present when Mohamed stole a scooter later used during the attacks.

The 29-year-old, as well as a woman that was described as either his wife or his girlfriend, were both detained by police on Wednesday, and then taken to the Domestic Intelligence Agency (DCRI) headquarters in Paris for questioning.

The woman was later released without charges on Sunday. Since the shootings, several thousands of people marched in silence through both Toulouse and Paris to urge tolerance of all religions and cultures.

The Paris public prosecutor’s office released in a statement that, “Police inquries have produced grave and matching pointers that suggest his participation as accomplice in crimes relating to a terrorist enterprise is plausible.”

Both police and prosecutors report that Abdelkader, as well as his late brother Mohamed, is a radical Islamist. They say that they have found traces of what is possibly an explosive material in his car. Apparently, he was questioned many years ago about a network that was sending Toulouse-area youths to Iraq, but no charges were brought against him at the time.

Do you think that Abdelkader Merah is partially to blame for the shootings in Toulouse, France last week?

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