Jewish man's killer confesses
2006-02-23 21:28
Abidjan - A Paris gang-leader was arrested overnight in Abidjan and has confessed to the kidnap, torture and murder of a young French Jewish man, Ivorian investigators said on Thursday, in a case that has horrified France.
Youssouf Fofana, 25, could be extradited back to France by the end of the day, according to French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin.
Fofana is believed to have fled to Ivory Coast shortly after the dying Ilan Hamili was found on February 11 outside the French capital.
"He has French nationality. He has been arrested by the Ivorian police. (French) police investigators are on the scene, so we believe he could be repatriated to France in the coming hours," said Villepin.
"This is an odious crime, and it is therefore important that justice be rapidly carried out," he said.
Trapped by a woman
Ivorian police officials said that Fofana - a convicted petty criminal of Ivorian origin - had admitted taking part in Halimi's kidnapping and murder. But they said that "he denies any anti-Semitic dimension" to the crime.
Halimi, a 23-year-old telephone salesman, went missing in late January after being lured into a trap by a woman.
He was held and tortured for three weeks in a poor multi-ethnic suburb of Paris by a gang that sent ransom demands to his family.
Ten days ago he was dumped beside a railway line just south of Paris city centre. Naked, bound and gagged, his body bore horrific injuries and he died on the way to hospital.
Silent demonstration
The crime struck horror in France's 500 000-strong Jewish community, where it was widely assumed Halimi had been targeted because he was Jewish.
A silent demonstration through Paris city centre is planned for Sunday.
Chirac telephoned Halimi's parents Tuesday to promise them that "everything shall be done to make sure those responsible for this act of barbarity are traced, caught and punished."
Investigators believe the gang - which called itself the "barbarians" - had made several failed attempts to extort money.
According to Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, four out of six previous targets were Jewish, who were chosen because of the belief that "Jews have money".
The left-wing Liberation newspaper said: "Hatred of the Jews has left the category of the unacceptable to become something normal - especially in the eyes of many young people."
- SAPA