A second person was arrested and taken into custody on Sunday, July 21, in the case of the fire that left seven dead in Nice. The individual is suspected of being one of the arsonists, two other suspects are still being sought.
A man suspected of being behind the fatal fire in Nice has been arrested. The individual is the second person to be arrested and taken into custody in connection with this case, he was arrested in the Paris region on the afternoon of Sunday, July 21 by the national BRI according to information from BFMTV. The man is believed to be one of three arsonists responsible for the fire that broke out in a building in Nice’s working-class Moulins district on the night of July 17 to 18, around 2:30 a.m. Seven people lost their lives in the fire and three other victims were injured, one of whom was hospitalized in a critical condition. Three young children and a teenager were among the victims.
While one of the suspects was arrested, two other alleged perpetrators of the fire are still being sought. The video surveillance images that filmed the fire showed the presence of three people entering the building before the fire broke out and leaving the premises at the time of the fire. The first person taken into custody on July 19 is not one of the alleged perpetrators, but one of their relatives considered “interesting” for the investigation according to a source close to the case at the Figaro.
A crime against a backdrop of drug trafficking?
An investigation was initially opened for “willful destruction by fire resulting in death” but was reclassified as “willful destruction by fire by an organized gang resulting in death” and “criminal association with a view to committing acts of willful destruction by fire by an organized gang”.
The criminal track is therefore favored. According to the first elements of the investigation and the video surveillance images, three hooded people entered the building during the night before leaving shortly after and taking over. Three fires then broke out on the first three floors.
“The possibility of facts occurring in the context of a conflict against a backdrop of drug trafficking, with no connection to the victims and their families, is being explored,” the prosecutor said on Thursday. The victim’s family may, in fact, not have been the target of the criminals. According to The Parisianthe man who was targeted by the arsonists was not present in the building at the time of the events, nor were his relatives. The Comorian family would therefore have been collateral victims. However, it is advisable to remain cautious for the moment regarding the motive for the act, which has not been confirmed.