admin23-year-old suspect in seven killings had been taken into custody by police special forces surrounding his flat.
A source close to the operation told AFP the negotiations with Mohamed Merah had been suspended during the morning because “he was tired, he wanted to rest and to read”.
At the time of going to the press, officers were still in touch with the suspect — who was thought to be armed with an assault rifle, a machine pistol and various handguns — and were trying to negotiate his surrender.
These talks may be “long and difficult”, the source warned, as “the young man has a strong temperament”.
Meanwhile, French president Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday said terrorist actions would not succeed in dividing France after receiving French Jewish and Muslim representatives in the Elysee Palace.
“The terrorism will not succeed in breaking our national community”, the president said, affirming that France should not be tempted by revenge and the police raid would make every effort to ensure that the suspect be held accountable for his crime.
President Sarkozy also paid tribute to the country’s law enforcement forces for their exceptional mobilisation of tracking down the assailant. — AFP/Xinhua.
Online Reporter
- Herald
- June 4, 2026
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