Seven men aged 17 to 21 were arrested on Tuesday, January 12, in several regions of France as part of the investigation into the murder of Samuel Paty, beheaded near a college in Yvelines last October, a- we learned from corroborating sources.
The suspects "appear on various messaging groups in which (Abdoullakh) Anzorov", the assassin of Samuel Paty, said a judicial source.
The seven men, some of whom are of Chechen origin like the terrorist, were arrested in particular in Toulouse, Lyon, Rouen, Besançon, in Seine-et-Marne and in Maine-et-Loire, said the same source.
The arrests were carried out by the anti-terrorism sub-directorate (Sdat) and the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) in several cities in France, a source familiar with the matter told AFP.
Five college students prosecuted
In December, five men aged 18 to 21 of Chechen origin, suspected of having had contact with the assailant, were released after being in police custody without prosecution at this stage.
In total, fourteen people are indicted in the investigation into the assassination of Samuel Paty, 47, beheaded on October 16 near his college in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine for showing caricatures of Muhammad to his students.
Among the suspects are six college students.
Five of them are being prosecuted for "complicity in a terrorist assassination", accused of having allowed Anzorov, an 18-year-old refugee, to identify the professor.
Abdoullakh Anzorov claimed responsibility for his gesture in an audio message in Russian where he said he had "avenged the prophet" Mohammed, accusing the professor of having "shown it in an insulting manner".
He was shot dead shortly after by the police.
With AFP
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