Suspect in student’s murder in Paris park arrested in Switzerland – Technologist

On Saturday, September 21, a 19-year-old student called only be her first name Philippine was found partially buried in the Bois de Boulogne, a wood in Paris’s 16^th arrondissement. The subsequent investigation, which has been in full swing since the discovery of the victim’s body, has mobilized considerable human and material resources. On Tuesday, a 22-year-old Moroccan national, strongly suspected of having killed Philippine, was arrested by Swiss police at the Geneva train station, revealed the Actu17 news website.

For the time being, no information regarding the identity of the young man has been made public by the police or judicial authorities, a sign that this case, beyond its criminal aspects, is considered particularly sensitive due to the political context. According to several sources close to the case, the individual arrested is of Moroccan nationality and was already sentenced to seven years in prison in 2021 for a rape committed in Taverny, north of Paris, when he was a minor, in similar circumstances: The victim was followed into a wood.

He was released in June, due to the application of a remission of sentence. He also was under obligation to leave the French territory (OQTF), but the order was not enforced. The French authorities did not get a consular pass (LPC) from Morocco, a travel document required for the removal of a foreigner without a passport.

The issue of LPCs is a subject of strong diplomatic tension among North African countries. According to the latest figures published by the French Interior Ministry, in 2022, Morocco issued 54.4% of the LPCs requested by France within the timeframe required for expulsion.

Strong political reactions

Since the immigration law came into force in January, detention can be extended on an exceptional basis if the detainee presents a persistent threat to public order, even if there is no prospect of expulsion in the near future. However, this threat must have materialized within the last two weeks before the date of their scheduled release. Since his release, the suspect did not comply with his obligation to report to a public station and was consequently added to the wanted persons file a fortnight later.

The announcement of the arrest of an individual under OQTF led to an outcry from the far right and the right, while the new interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, has made the fight against illegal immigration one of his priorities. “This migrant had no business on our soil, but he was able to reoffend with total impunity. Our justice system is lax, our state dysfunctional,” denounced the president of the Rassemblement National, Jordan Bardella, on X. “The profile of Philippine’s alleged murderer is chilling. How can a rapist released from prison and under an OQTF walk our streets with impunity?” questioned Les Républicains’ Valérie Pécresse, president of the Paris region.

You have 19.25% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.