February 23, 2006
Police in the West African state Ivory Coast have arrested the suspected leader of a gang accused of torturing and murdering a Jewish man in France, according to prosecutor quoted by "Reuters". French police sent two officers to Ivory Coast on Tuesday after Youssef Fofana had fled back to his native country following the death of Ilan Halimi near Paris earlier this month. Prosecutor Kimou said that Fofana was arrested in the capital Abidjan and added that an inquiry would be held before handing the suspect over to French authorities. Halimi, 23, was found naked, tortured and burned south of Paris after being held for three weeks by a gang demanding a large ransom. He died of his injuries shortly afterwards. This week, France's Interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy denounced Halimi's killing as an anti-Semitic crime and said that police investigating the killing had linked some suspects to documents supporting Palestinian and arch-conservative Islamic causes. French police have said Fofana's gang used young women to lure potential targets to locations where they could be kidnapped. The woman who lured Halimi has given herself up to police and several other suspects are under investigation in France.
Meanwhile, several Jewish and non-Jewish human rights organizations have called a protest march for next Sunday in Paris. President Jacques Chirac is expected to attend a ceremony at the Victoire Synagogue on Thursday evening. The call for a demonstration was welcomed by France's prime minister. Dominique de Villepin said on "Canal+" television that following "such violent horrifying acts" it was important that everybody took his or her place in public show of unity against the "rise of violence". His government associated itself with the protesters, de Villepin said.
