The facts date back to the night of June 29 to 30, a few days after Nahel’s death. France was then experiencing a lot of urban violence. In the Republican reconquest of Europe district in Colmar (Haut-Rhin), around ten car fires, but also stone attacks by firefighters and police officers took place. And a bank had been set on fire.
An 18-year-old and two minors aged 15 and 17 were indicted on Thursday for this fire, we learned from the prosecution. The three young people were arrested on Tuesday at their home or at their school. The adult was placed in pre-trial detention while the two minors are under judicial supervision.
They are suspected of having doused the bank with gasoline, causing significant damage estimated at more than 500,000 euros. Closed since the fire, the bank branch should not reopen at this address. The prosecution opened a judicial investigation on Thursday for “destruction or damage by dangerous means”, punishable by ten years in prison and a fine of 150,000 euros.
The three suspects were also indicted for “voluntarily obstructing the arrival of help”, an offense punishable by seven years of imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 euros. They are in fact also suspected of having blocked the passage of a fire truck, stoned this vehicle and barricaded a roundabout in order to prevent the fire from being extinguished.