Kouré attack: investigators on "very serious leads"

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

A week after the attack on Kouré which caused the death of six French and two Nigeriens, the investigation began in the two countries concerned.

Publicity

According to the first elements of the French investigation , the attack "  appears to have been premeditated  " with the objective "  a priori to target Westerners  ". But the investigation is only at its beginning and the conditional remains in place, especially since there has still been no claim.

Six days after the tragedy, little is still known about the attackers. From a Nigerien judicial source, they were four on two motorcycles. We also know that they would have fled to the north bypassing Niamey to the east, it is the traces of the motorcycle tires that have betrayed them. The hunt was therefore concentrated in this area after the tragedy, but none of the perpetrators of the attack was intercepted. Only one man has so far been arrested: his presence in a camp around Kouré was considered suspicious. But this is only one track among others, assures the Nigerien Minister of the Interior.

We have a few leads, but at this stage we can't say more. There is a first suspect, he is an isolated suspect for the moment, we remain very careful. Our investigations continue, it is really too early to say. But it's not just that, we have other avenues, which we are in the process of exploring, but which seem very serious to us.

Alkache Alhada, Nigerien Minister of the Interior

RFI

Part of the work of investigators also involves analyzing the bodies of victims . A first work with samples took place in the Nigerien capital this week, where French investigators arrived in the middle of the week. The next step will be the autopsies that will be performed at the forensic institute in Paris.

Newsletter Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

• France
• Niger
• Terrorism