Report: Neo-Nazi soldiers not responsible for Toulouse shooting

Reports published Monday said police searching for three men who were dismissed from army after being photographed giving Nazi salutes in connection with deadly attacks on Jewish school, Muslim troops; but police official says they were located, interrogated and cleared of all suspicion. FM Juppe: We'll catch the monster

Menachem Gantz |Published: 03.20.12 , 18:30

The three former French soldiers who were suspected of involvement in the deadly shooting at a Jewish school in Toulouse on Monday have been cleared of all suspicion, the news website France Info reported, citing a police source.

According to reports published Monday, French police investigating the fatal shootings of a teacher and three children at a Jewish school in Toulouse were searching for the three soldiers, who were dismissed from the army a few years ago after being photographed while giving Nazi salutes in front of a Swastika flag.

התמונה של החיילים עם צלב הקרס

Photo that led to soldiers' dismissal from French army

Monday's deadly shooting came just days after three soldiers — from the same 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment with which the dismissed trio served — were shot dead in broad daylight in Montauban 30 miles away last Thursday. Two of the murdered soldiers were Muslim.

But France Info's report, published Tuesday, said the three neo-Nazis were located by police and cleared of any suspicion. A police official told the website that two of the former troops were interrogated after the shooting attack on the Jewish school, while the third was questioned after the attack in Montauban.

Ynet's correspondent in Toulouse added that according to reports in France, one of the three neo-Nazis voluntarily reported to a police station to be interrogated.

The shootings in Toulouse claimed the lives of Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, 29, his 3-year-old and 6-year-old sons Gabriel and Arieh and 8-year-old Miriam Monsonego, daughter of school headmaster Rabbi Yaacov Monsonego.

Caskets carrying the bodies of Sandler and his sons are expected to arrive in Israel at around 5:20 am Wednesday. ZAKA ambulances will transport the caskets from Ben-Gurion Airport to Jerusalem.

The victims' funeral is scheduled to take place at 9 am at the capital's Givat Shaul cemetery.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe promised that authorities will "apprehend the monster" who carried and the attack in Toulouse and bring him to justice.

Speaking to the France 2 television station, the FM called on the presidential candidates not to take advantage "of this drama," which "has nothing to do with the election campaign.”