A French court ruled Tuesday that the murderer of Sebastien Selam, a French Jew knifed to death six years ago in Paris, is unfit for trial due to mental instability.
| Other Murders in France |
|
| Mother of slain French Jew demands open trial for killers / Ynet |
|
Le Figaro reports mother of Ilan Halimi, who was kidnapped, tortured and left for dead in 2006, demands trial of suspects be made public so 'his death won't be in vain'. Court may reject mother's request, as two of the suspects were minors at time of incident |
| Full Story |
|
|
|
Amastaibou, a 26-year-old French Muslim, stabbed Selam to death with a knife and fork in the basement of an apartment building they shared in November of 2003. He was arrested and discovered to be under the influence of marijuana.
When interrogated Amastaibou said he had been "under a spell" and that he was "pleased by the death of that f-ing Jew".
Selam was a 22-year old DJ when he died. His family demanded that the murder be labeled a crime of anti-Semitism, but in a hearing that took place last month Amastaibou rejected this claim.
"I heard voices and I thought I was dead. In order to survive I had to kill my best friend. I was not in control. This has nothing to do with religion. Sebastien was a good friend of mine," he told the court.
The court is now faced with a decision on the level of Amastaibou's threat to society.
Before killing Selam he had also attacked his mother, his aunt, and his uncle, and evaded treatments to which he had committed himself.
RSS
