Toulouse (AFP)

The family of the French engineer Thales group murdered Monday evening in the street in an upscale neighborhood of Bogota by a "hitman" is "very very up against Thales," said Thursday the mayor of the locality where the family lives , near Toulouse.

"His mission was first suspended for security reasons and then Tuesday (November 26) maintained and so he left.Within a few weeks he was in Bolivia and was repatriated urgently for security reasons" Alain Guilleminot, mayor of Lapeyrouse-Fossat, a small town on the outskirts of Toulouse, told AFP.

Philippe Cavaillès, 45, was, according to the edile, "specialized in training for flight simulators.It was going for a training and should have returned Wednesday in Toulouse", where the defense group Thales is installed on several sites .

"The family is very very against Thales," said the mayor, who met Wednesday night the widow of the victim and the three daughters of the couple. Asked about a possible complaint, he replied: "they are for the moment devastated".

"The family had been living in the town for seven years, including being involved in a local sports association, which was very popular and had many friends," said the mayor.

The victim "was in the company of another French" with whom "they were leaving a pizzeria" in the district of Chapinero, located in the north of Bogota, according to a Colombian police source.

The killer "came from behind", targeting "only" the victim, before fleeing, the scene having taken place very close to the French Embassy in Colombia, according to the same.

On Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry said it was "in touch with a relative and with the employer of the victim" after this "death" in "circumstances still to be clarified".

The Thales group expressed its "immense and deep sadness" stating that the colleague of the victim had been "immediately supported by the competent authorities and the management of Thales".

According to a source close to the file, the victim had a "technical profile" and "worked on software related to radar and air traffic management systems", so not on military subjects. His trip to Bogota was unrelated to Expodefensa, a defense and security fair, where Thales has a stand.

© 2019 AFP