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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 31 OcTOber 2017
At French terror trial, killer’s brother denies extremism

Merah. There is a big differ- having mentored Moham-
ence,” he told the court. med as he turned toward ji-
Abdelkader Merah is ac- hadism, and with providing
cused of complicity to ter- assistance to him.
ror in connection with the With a thick beard and his
shooting spree his brother hands behind his back,
went on in 2012. He denies the 35-year-old Merah has
any wrongdoing. proved hard to unsettle dur-
Public prosecutor Naima ing his court hearings, even
Rudloff on Monday re- when the investigation sug-
quested the maximum gested he had helped his
sentence for Merah, life brother. On French intel-
imprisonment with 22 years ligence radar since 2006
before any possible parole. for his proximity to radical
A verdict is expected on cells in the Toulouse re-
Thursday. In March 2012, gion, Merah has admitted
Mohammed Merah killed he was with his brother the
three French paratroop- day Mohammed stole the
ers in Toulouse and Mon- motor scooter used in the
tauban. Then a few days killings. He said he didn’t re-
later, he burst into a Jewish port the theft to police be-
school, killed a rabbi and cause he didn’t want to be
his two young sons and a snitch. “This is how it works
grabbed an 8-year-old girl in the projects. I’ve got the
In this March 23, 2012 photo, police officers search for clues outside Mohamed Merah’s apartment
building in Toulouse, southwestern France. Once nicknamed Bin Laden in the French housing and shot her in the head. street DNA,” Merah told the
project where he grew up, the violence-prone ex-delinquent Abdelkader Merah, brother of He was then shot and killed court. “As a Muslim, a theft
Mohamed Merah, now says he is a peaceful Muslim. in a dramatic 30-hour po- in my presence was not
(AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere) lice standoff at his Toulouse something enjoyable. On
By S. PETREQUIN a peaceful Muslim and has people in extremist attacks apartment. the other hand, in the hous-
Associated Press displayed calm, wit and in southern France. Abdelkader Merah has ing project, a scooter theft
PARIS (AP) — Abdelkader knowledge at his terror trial “I’m not Mohammed been held for over the past is not something that really
Merah wants to show that in Paris. Merah, I am Abdelkader five years, suspected of matters.”q
he has escaped his violent From the glass-enclosed
past through devotion to court docket where he
Islam. has been standing for the
Once nicknamed Bin Lad- past four weeks, Merah
en in the French housing has been trying to distance
project where he grew himself from his younger
up, the violence-prone ex- brother Mohammed, who
delinquent now says he is five years ago killed seven

Police: Danish inventor admits

dismembering journalist Wall

By JARI TANNER Inventor Peter Madsen —
GREGORY KATZ who is in custody — has
Associated Press offered a shifting variety
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — of explanations for Wall’s
She was a promising young death.
journalist, tested in trouble Police revealed Monday
spots throughout the world, that Madsen now admits
reporting on a Danish in- dismembering Wall’s body
ventor famed for building and throwing the body
what was thought to be the parts into a bay southwest
world’s largest private sub- of Copenhagen, but stead-
marine. The story seemed fastly denies killing her. He
to present little danger, but previously claimed she had
it cost Kim Wall her life. an accident but now says
The Swedish journalist’s dis- she died from carbon mon-
membered, naked torso oxide poisoning suffered
was found on a southern inside Madsen’s submarine
Copenhagen coast in late while he was out of harm’s
August and her head, legs way on the vessel’s deck.
and clothes were later dis- “This explanation naturally
covered in plastic bags at will lead the police into
sea. The bags also con- gathering additional state-
tained a knife, and heavy ments from the coroner
metal objects designed to and the armed forces’ sub-
take them to the ocean marine experts,” said Co-
floor. Wall’s arms are still penhagen police investi-
missing. gator Jens Moller Jensen.q