The trial of the man accused of stabbing Alain Françon opens this Monday before the Assize Court of Hérault. On March 17, 2021, at 11:30 a.m., the author and director was violently attacked in the rue de l’Ancien courier, a small street in the pedestrian city center of Montpellier. A man, armed with a cutter, had slit his throat, grazing the carotid artery, but touching the jugular vein. Rescued by passers-by and in particular a pharmacist, the man of the theater, named five times and winner of three “Molière” in 1995, 2010 and 2016, had miraculously saved his life.
The CCTV images, of a store located near the tragedy, then of the city, had made it possible to identify a man in black tracksuit, Mohamed Kamel, an Algerian with a very disturbing profile. The investigation tends to show that he hit his victim at random, out of frustration. A few moments before this attack, he had been pushed back by the police on duty in front of the Hérault prefecture. He had tried to extend his residence permit but had been turned away for not having made an appointment.
Multiple convictions
Arrested, he will have varied the statements before the police and the judge. Evoking racist and terrorist motivations, before returning to his remarks. His lawyer Hayet Djefaflia specifies “that he had no intention of killing him” and believes that it was only “provocation”. “His family does not subscribe at all to what he said,” she adds. Convicted several times for violence, followed by a time for radicalization, Mohamed Kamel is tried for attempted murder.
“We are facing an extremely dangerous aggressor. His criminal record is impressive, ”said, on the contrary, master Luc Abratkiewicz, the victim’s lawyer. “We have the profile of an extremely aggressive psychopath who cannot stand frustration. He is inhabited by violence. I can’t say if it’s racist or terrorist. What is certain is that it is free. He insults France and attacks this unfortunate victim, ”he explains. Jurors are expected to deliver their verdict on Wednesday.