A third person was arrested this Wednesday, July 24, as part of the investigation into the fire that resulted in the death of seven people in Nice. Two other suspects are still being sought.
And three. A new suspect in the investigation into the fatal fire that occurred in a building in Nice on the night of July 17 to 18 was arrested and taken into custody this Wednesday, July 24, according to information from nice morning. The public prosecutor said the man is one of five “individuals wanted” since the fire. All have been identified and are men aged 17 to 25 living in the Alpes-Maritimes or the Paris region, three of them are suspected of being the cause of the fire and the last two of having been in the car that took the arsonists to the scene.
Two suspects were already arrested last Thursday and Sunday and were charged and placed in custody on Tuesday, July 23 for “intentional destruction by fire in an organized gang resulting in death.” One is suspected of being one of the arsonists, while the second is believed to be one of the witnesses present in the vehicle on the evening of the fire. The man arrested on Wednesday, July 24 is believed to be the second witness. The other two people suspected of setting the fire are still being sought.
A crime against the backdrop of drug trafficking
The investigation opened has confirmed that the Nice fire is linked to “a conflict over drug trafficking”. Seven people lost their lives in this fire and three other victims were injured, one of whom was hospitalized in a critical condition. Three young children and a teenager are among the victims.
Initially opened for “willful destruction by fire resulting in death” was therefore 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 coming out shortly afterwards, taking over. Three fires then broke out on the first three floors, but it was on the 7th floor that the flames caused the most damage. Two other individuals were in the car that drove the arsonists to the scene.
The public prosecutor of Nice, Damien Martinelli, explained on Tuesday 23 July that “the theory of facts occurring in the context of a conflict over drug trafficking is confirmed” and specified that the victims had no link “directly or indirectly” with the rivalries linked to the control of drug sales points. 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.