The man suspected of having fatally mowed down Aymen, 14, on December 14 in Montpellier, was arrested on Tuesday December 27 near Perpignan, the prosecution announced. The collision took place in the Paillade district, during the celebrations following the semi-final match of the Football World Cup between the teams of France and Morocco.
“The respondent was arrested this morning early (…) by the investigators of the territorial direction of the judicial police of Montpellier in execution of an arrest warrant issued by an investigating judge “announced to Agence France-Presse (AFP) the public prosecutor of Montpellier, Fabrice Bélargent, confirming information from France 3 Occitanie.
He will be presented on Tuesday, during the day, to the investigating magistrate with a view to his probable indictment in the context of an open investigation for “aggravated fatal blows in this case with a weapon” (the vehicle).
For the family, “It’s a great relief, because we now know that he is arrested and that justice will be done, that he will be punished, that he will receive, I hope, a sentence equal to what he ‘he committed “reacted Saïd, Aymen’s brother.
“I place all my trust in my lawyer and in justice. It’s not about revenge, just that justice be done, even if it’s not stopping him that’s going to bring us back our little one “, added Saïd, who manages the snack bar near which his brother was killed. His lawyer, Mr.e Marc Gallix, will be a civil party on behalf of the family on Tuesday, in particular to have access to the file, he said.
The driver had fled on the night of December 14 to 15 after hitting Aymen, in circumstances that have yet to be clarified, in this district in the northwest of Montpellier. He had been quickly identified and was actively sought.
Forty-eight hours of tension
According to the first elements provided by the prosecution the day after the accident, the driver would have left ” violently “ of his line of vehicles following the capture of a French flag which was held at the window of his car, during the celebrations after the victory of France against Morocco, at the end of a historic semi-final . It was then that he allegedly hit the teenager, who died shortly after his medical treatment.
“Aymen was coming out of the snack bar where he had watched the match when he was hit and crushed. He was not part of the group surrounding the vehicle.said Tuesday Mr.e Gallix.
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This drama had aroused great emotion in Montpellier. For the next forty-eight hours, the Paillade district had been plagued by violence between young people from the Maghreb community – more than 90% of the inhabitants of the district, mainly Moroccans or Franco-Moroccans – and that of the Travelers , to which the driver would belong.
Tensions, marked by a beating and a punitive expedition, had subsided after calls for calm from Aymen’s family, leaders of the Muslim and gypsy communities and local elected officials.
A thousand people marched on December 20, white roses in hand, to pay their last respects to the teenager. Outside the funeral home, his older brother once again called for “appeasement”to ” prayer “ and at “recollection”.
“It takes a lot of patience”, he added, before the coffin of the young man, covered with a green burial sheet, was buried in the Muslim square of the cemetery. Aymen was a “solar child, adorable, full of energy, joy and good humor”had described his history and geography teacher.
