Men Arrested and Jailed Following Shooting Incident
Three men have been placed under investigation and detained following the gunshots targeting the vehicles of three Olympique de Marseille players in May. It was communicated by Nicolas Bessone, the Public Prosecutor of Marseille, on Friday, August 2nd. On May 20th, shortly after 3 a.m., Cameroonian internationals Faris Moumbagna and Jean Onana, along with French-Ivorian defender Bamo Meïté, had left the training center of La Commanderie in the eastern part of the city. The team had just returned to Marseille after their final Ligue 1 season match in Le Havre. Driving in a convoy in their three vehicles, including two powerful SUVs, the three men mistakenly ended up in a dead-end where they encountered a group of people talking around a car. As they turned around, several members of the group began chasing them in a car and shooting at them multiple times. Although no one was injured, the cars of two players were hit, one by a bullet and the other by two. The investigation quickly revealed that several members of the group were part of a family known in the Marseille “narcobandit” milieu, stated Prosecutor Nicolas Bessone during a press conference. After several weeks of tracking, investigators arrested three young men on Monday, two aged 22 and one aged 18. All three had prior records or convictions in drug-related cases and explained that upon seeing the two imposing vehicles arriving in the middle of the night, they thought they were going to be targeted in a settling of scores. One of the older individuals was already a victim of attempted homicide at 17, and his father and uncle were killed in a drug-related settling of scores, the prosecutor noted. They did not recognize their targets as OM players and told the investigators that they had no intention to kill them but merely to scare them off and protect themselves. The youngest, who admitted to driving the car, was placed under investigation for attempted murder by an organized group, while the other two were charged with attempted murder by an organized group and possession and acquisition of weapons and ammunition. Last year, 49 people, mainly young men often at the lower end of drug trafficking networks, were killed in Marseille in drug-related score-settlings, with around ten deaths since the beginning of this year.
Continued Investigations and Legal Action
The ongoing investigations and legal actions surrounding the shooting incident have shed light on the complexities of crime and violence in Marseille. The arrests and charges against the three individuals provide a glimpse into the underlying issues of drug-related conflicts that plague the city. As law enforcement and prosecutors work towards justice, the case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers faced by both residents and visitors in Marseille’s criminal underworld. The authorities remain vigilant in their efforts to combat organized crime and ensure the safety and security of the community.
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