Corsican independence activist Yvan Colonna, who was brain dead following an attack by a fellow prisoner in Arles prison earlier this month, died Monday, March 21, in hospital in Marseille, announced his family, via his lawyer Patrick Spinosi.
"The family of Yvan Colonna confirms his death this evening at the Marseille hospital. They ask that their mourning be respected and will not make any comment", specified Me Spinosi to AFP, by text message, thus confirming information also obtained by AFP from a police source and initially given by the daily Le Parisien.
Yvan Colonna had been serving a life sentence since 2003 for the assassination of the prefect Claude Erignac in Ajaccio in 1998.
An investigation for "attempted assassination in connection with a terrorist enterprise" was opened by the national anti-terrorist prosecutor's office (Pnat) following his attack, due to the circumstances of it and the first elements of the investigation.
His attacker Franck Elong Abé, who was serving several sentences including one of nine years' imprisonment for "terrorist criminal association", has been indicted for attempted terrorist assassination since March 6.
With AFP and Reuters
The summary of the
France 24 week invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news everywhere with you!
Download the France 24 app
google-play-badge_FR