French gunman’s brother charged with complicity: source

PARIS – Abdelkader Merah, brother of the Islamist gunman who killed 7 people in southwest France, was charged Sunday, March 25, with complicity in the murders and remanded in custody, a judicial source said.

The older brother of Mohamed Merah has also been indicted for involvement in preparing a terrorist attack, the source said, as well as the theft of a scooter used in the shootings that shocked France.

Merah, 23, killed 3 soldiers, 3 Jewish schoolchildren and a trainee rabbi in a series of attacks this month. He claimed to be an Al-Qaeda member killing to avenge Palestinian children and to punish France for sending troops to Afghanistan.

Merah died in a hail of police bullets after a 32-hour siege at his Toulouse apartment.

Police and prosecutors have described the killer’s elder brother, 29, as a more radical Islamist. He has told investigators he was “proud” of Mohamed, but denied any involvement in the attacks.

The judicial source said four anti-terror judges have been assigned to the case. – Agence France-Presse