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The aunt of a French teenager shot dead by police last week has urged the “violence to stop” and her nephew’s death to trigger “real change” peacefully, in a heartfelt interview with The Independent. Hatifa, who turned 47 on Saturday, the day of her nephew’s funeral, described Nahel Merzouk, 17, as a “loving teddy bear” who had big ambitions, liked to write rap lyrics, and was “dedicated” to his mother. She said the family – who are of Algerian and Moroccan origin – had been overwhelmed by the national and global response to his killing last week by a police officer during a traffic stop in a west Parisian suburb. Thousands of people have taken to the streets across the country, calling for an end to police impunity and discrimination after a video of the incident was shared online. But it has also ignited violence with multiple cities ablaze as looters ransacked dozens of shops and torched thousands of vehicles, according to the interior ministry. On Sunday morning a group of rioters ram-raided the home of a Paris suburb mayor, set the car alight and launched fireworks at his wife and young children. “I ask that the violence stop. I don’t want people to get hurt. The family is very much against the violence,” Hatifa, a mother-of-four herself, told The Independent. “We knew Nahel’s killing would have some impact but not this much. I think there are mass protests because so many mothers, like my sister, have had enough of being scared all the time.” She said the family were “very grateful” for the global support, which had helped as they dealt with “deep grief”. “But I hope that Nahel’s death is going to trigger some kind of change that means this never happens again,” she added. “At the end of the day, a grown-up shot a child.” Nahel was fired at by a police officer during a traffic stop in the west Parisian suburb. The perpetrator of the shooting justified his action by saying the teenager refused to comply and the police said he was “known” to them. But the incident was caught on mobile phone footage and showed Nahel driving away from the officers before one fired at him. His family believe he was likely terrified, and so panicked and drove off. France’s human rights ombudsman has opened an inquiry into the killing and the officer involved has been charged with homicide. Outraged at the murder, and the apparent efforts by the police to paint Nahel as a troubled teenager wanted by the law, has seen thousands take to the streets across the country. But that has spiralled into violence in many areas. Emmanuel Macron, facing the most severe challenge yet to his presidency, deployed 45,000 officers, including elite anti-terrorism units, in a bid to end the unrest. Police unions, meanwhile, have declared they are “at war” with “savage hordes of vermin”. More than 3,000 people have now been arrested across the country, with curfews imposed and public transport curtailed as open street battles raged between protesters and police, and looting became rampant. Hatifa said that the anger in the disenfranchised banlieues – or city suburbs – had been simmering for a while because of the endemic problem of discrimination in the police force. The youths, including Nahel, are regularly stopped by police, an action that scares them and heightens tensions, she added. “I don’t have all the answers to fix this. Racism and discrimination within the police has to stop. I know policemen are reaching their wit’s end and are taking their frustration out on young people. “But it has to stop, young people don’t like police, the police should be defending us not killing us,” she added. Hatifa’s words echo those of Nahel’s grandmother who also called for calm in an interview with French TV channel BFMTV on Sunday. “Don’t break windows, don’t smash up schools, don’t smash up buses. Stop it, they’re mums on buses, they’re mums walking outside”, the grandmother begged. “Nahel is dead. My daughter had just one child, she’s lost, it’s over, my daughter has no life left. And they made me lose my daughter and my grandson.” Hatifa said the whole family was concerned about the mental health of Nahel’s mother, Mounia, who has been thrust into the international limelight. “My sister is focused entirely on the loss of her son, her only son. I am scared that she might make a mistake in her loneliness and solitude when this quietens down,” she added. The officer who fired at Nahel has been taken into pre-trial custody, which French criminal law professors told The Independent was unprecedented. But many, including the family, fear that he may still be released. Nahel is the 16th driver to be shot at a traffic stop since the start of 2022, experts have told The Independent. The difference this time is that it was caught on camera. Hatifa said they were concerned by the impunity in the police force and hoped the officer, who has been detained on charges of homicide, is convicted and jailed. “It would be a disaster if, after all that has happened, nothing changes and for this person to walk free. Young people in my neighbourhood go to prison for much less,” she said with a shake in her voice. “We didn’t ask for a policeman to wake up one morning and put a bullet through my nephew’s heart. “I can’t breathe at night – I have never felt such pain. Nahel never hurt anyone.” Read More Paris protesters ram burning car into mayor’s home and leave family injured in ‘assassination attempt’ Paris shooting: Where are the riots in France and why are they happening? Travellers to France advised not to cancel trips but to avoid cities at night AP News Digest 3 am Paris protests ease as killed teen’s family call for peace – France riots live Where are the French riots and why are they happening?

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A sixth consecutive night of rioting across France saw a young Paris fireman die as he tried to put out a blaze in an underground car park today. The 24-year-old, who has not been named, was on Monday part of an emergency operation in the troubled northern suburb of Saint-Denis. Rioting spread across the country following the fatal shooting by police of 17-year-old boy Nahel in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, said: “Overnight, while fighting against a blaze involving several vehicles in an underground car park in Saint-Denis, a young Corporal-Chief of the Paris Fire Brigade died despite very rapid treatment by his teammates.” The ongoing violence saw 157 arrests between Sunday and Monday, said Mr Darmanin. The grandmother of 17-year-old Nahel, identified only as Nadia, said in a telephone interview with French news broadcaster BFM TV, “Don’t break windows, buses ... schools. We want to calm things down.” The aunt of the slain teen told The Independent: “The family is very much against the violence. “But I hope that Nahel’s death is going to trigger some kind of change that means this never happens again.” Read More Where are the riots in France and why are they happening? Is it safe to travel to Paris right now? Aunt of teenager whose death sparked riots across France pleads for violence to stop Paris protesters ram burning car into mayor’s home and leave family injured in ‘assassination attempt’

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The aunt of a French teenager shot dead by police last week has urged the “violence to stop” and her nephew’s death to trigger “real change” peacefully, in a heartfelt interview with The Independent. Hatifa, who turned 47 on Saturday the day of her nephew’s funeral, described Nahel Merzouk, 17, as a “loving… teddy bear” who had big ambitions, liked to write rap lyrics and was “dedicated” to his mother. She said the family – who are of Algerian and Moroccan origin – had been overwhelmed by the national and global response to his killing last week by a police officer during a traffic stop in a west Parisian suburb. Thousands of people have taken to the streets across the country, calling for an end to police impunity and discrimination after a video of the incident was shared online. But it has also ignited violence with multiple cities ablaze as looters ransacked dozens of shops and torched thousands of vehicles, according to the interior ministry. Sunday morning a group of rioters ram-raided the home of a Paris suburb mayor, set the car alight and launched fireworks at his wife and young children. “I ask that the violence stop. I don’t want people to get hurt. The family is very much against the violence,” Hatifa, a mother-of-four herself, told The Independent. “We knew Nahel’s killing would have some impact but not this much. I think there are mass protests because so many mothers, like my sister, have had enough of being scared all the time.” She said the family were “very grateful” for the global support, which had helped as they dealt with “deep grief”. “But I hope that Nahel’s death is going to trigger some kind of change that means this never happens again,” she added. “At the end of the day, a grown-up shot a baby.” Nahel was fired at by a police officer during a traffic stop in the west Parisian suburb. The perpetrator of the shooting justified his action by the teenager’s refusal to comply and the police said he was “known” to them. But the incident was caught on mobile phone footage and showed Nahel driving away from the officers before one fired at him. His family believe he was likely terrified, and so panicked and drove off. France’s human rights ombudsman has opened an inquiry into the killing and the officer involved has been charged with homicide. Outraged at the murder, and the apparent efforts by the police to paint Nahel as a troubled teenager wanted by the law, has seen thousands take to the streets across the country. But that has spiralled into violence in many areas. Emmanuel Macron, facing the most severe challenge yet to his presidency, deployed 45,000 officers, including elite anti-terrorism units in a bid to end the unrest. Police unions, meanwhile, have declared they are “at war” with “savage hordes of vermin.” More than 3000 people have now been arrested across the country, curfews imposed and public transport curtailed as open street battles raged between protesters and police, and looting became rampant. Hatifa said the anger in the disenfranchised banlieues - or city suburbs - had been simmering for a while because of the endemic problem of discrimination in the police force. The youth, including Nahel, are regularly stopped by police, an action which scares them and heightens tensions, she added.“I don’t have all the answers to fix this. Racism and discrimination within the police a to stop. I know policemen are reaching their wits’ end and are taking their frustration out on young people. “But it has to stop, young people don’t like police, the police should be defending us not killing us,” she added. Haifa’s words echo those of Nahel’s grandmother who also called for calm in an interview with French TV channel BFMTV on Sunday. “Don’t break windows, don’t smash up schools, don’t smash up buses. Stop it, they’re mums on buses, they’re mums walking outside”, the grandmother begged. “Nahel is dead. My daughter had just one child, she’s lost, it’s over, my daughter has no life left. And they made me lose my daughter and my grandson.” Hatifa said the whole family was concerned about the mental health of Nahel’s mother, Mounia, who has been thrust into the international limelight. “My sister is focused entirely on the loss of her son, her only son. I am scared that she might make a mistake in her loneliness and solitude, when this quietens down,” she added. The officer who fired at Nahel has been taken into pre-trial custody, which French criminal law professors told The Independent was unprecedented. But many, including the family, fear that he may still be released. Nahel is the 16th driver to be shot at a traffic stop since the start of 2022, experts have told The Independent. The difference this time is that it was caught on camera. Hatifa said they were concerned by the impunity in the police force and hoped the officer, who has been detained on charges of homicide convinced and jailed. “It would be a disaster if after all that has happened, nothing changes and for this person to walk free. Young people in my neighbourhood go to prison for much less” she said with a shake in her voice. “We didn’t ask for a policeman to wake up one morning and put a bullet through my nephew’s heart. “I can’t breathe at night - I have never felt such pain. Nahel never hurt anyone.” Read More Paris protesters ram burning car into mayor’s home and leave family injured in ‘assassination attempt’ Paris shooting: Where are the riots in France and why are they happening? Travellers to France advised not to cancel trips but to avoid cities at night AP News Digest 2 p.m. Paris rioters ram burning car into mayor’s family home Where are the French riots and why are they happening?

French President Emmanuel Macron is counting on law enforcement to restore order after almost a week of nationwide

The home of a Paris mayor has been raided and set alight while his wife and children were inside sleeping as the city continues to be rocked by riots. Vincent Jeanbrun, who is in charge of the area of L’Hay-les-Roses in the southern suburbs, said rockets were also thrown as they fled from the burning house in what he’s calling an “assassination attempt”. Mr Jeanbrun said his wife and one of his two children, who are both aged under eight, were injured as they fled the building in the early hours of Sunday. “Last night, a milestone was reached in horror and ignominy,” he wrote on Twitter. “My home was attacked and my family was the victim of an assassination attempt.” The mayor was not at home at the time but was instead working at his office. Mr Jeanbrun also said the attack was “a murder attempt of unspeakable cowardice”. “A line has been crossed,” he said. “If my priority today is to take care of my family, my determination to protect and serve the Republic is greater than before.” A car was used to ram through the gates of the family’s home before the vehicle was set on fire in an effort for flames to spread to the house, Mr Jeanbrun said in a statement. His wife, Melanie Nowak, suffered a broken leg when she attempted to flee through rocket fire. An attempted murder investigation has already been opened, according to France’s minister of the interior Gerald Darmanin. “The perpetrators will answer for their heinous acts,” he said. The street outside of the Jeanbrun’s family home in L’Hay-les-Roses was closed off by police officers who declined to speak to the media on Sunday evening about what had occurred. However, residents of the affluent and quiet suburb said they were “deeply frightened” by the incident and said it was “unimaginable” in their neighbourhood. “By chance we spoke to the mayor just yesterday and he said there was a problem but we never imagined this. It’s very scary and unexpected,” said Dominique, 61, who lives 100m away and is a neighbour of the Jeanburns. He said the mayor’s wife was still being treated for her injuries in hospital. “They came at 1am and set fire to a car, rammed the house with it while the children were inside,” his wife Veronique added, visibly shaken. “In all the 20 years we have lived here we have never experienced anything like it. It’s terrifying,” she added. Both said the area had been quiet despite the unrest rocking the rest of country but the mayor had been concerned in recent days as he had come out publicly supporting the need to police the streets. “There is no justification for this act – people have looted shops, burned cars and now done this, attacking a family while children are inside,” Veronique added. Another resident of the area – Michel, 30, a lawyer – said the attack only shored up the belief in these neighbourhoods that a greater police presence was needed. “Nobody is safe at the moment and so we live day by day. This area is usually calm –but people are jumping on this moment, opportunists to destabilise everything,” he added. The attack took place about 30km (19 miles) away from where a 17-year-old boy was killed, allegedly by a police officer, during a traffic stop on Tuesday in the suburb of Nanterre. Nahel Merzouk’s death has triggered widespread riots in France, which resulted in tens of thousands of police officers being deployed to the streets. His grandmother, Nadia, urged people not to join in the chaos in a desperate plea on Saturday. “I want it to stop everywhere,” she told TV channel BFM TV. “I tell the people who are rioting this: do not smash windows, attack schools or buses. Stop! It’s the mums who are taking the bus, it’s the mums who walk outside.” Nadia went on to detail just how the tragedy has undone her family. “It’s over, my daughter no longer has a life,” she said. Anger and unrest quickly spread from the capital’s suburbs to other parts of France including Marseille after almost a week since the shooting. Curfews have been enforced in some places and thousands of police deployed to the streets in a bid to stop the chaos, which has included looting and bins being set on fire. Riots continued for a fifth night on Saturday, with 45,000 police deployed and 719 people arrested across the country by early on Sunday. Mourners paid tribute at the teenager’s funeral in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre on Saturday, near where he died. Nahel’s mother, who was identified as Mounia, told French television station France 5 this week about the tragedy’s impact on her. “(The police officer) saw a little Arab-looking kid, he wanted to take his life,” she said. “A police officer cannot take his gun and fire at our children, take our children’s lives.” The teenager was of Algerian and Moroccan descent and lived in a suburb in the Vieux-Pont neighbourhood of Nanterre, about 15km from the centre of Paris. Nadia did not attend the “marche blanche”, which was organised by her daughter on Thursday night as she didn’t want to leave the spot where her grandson died. French president Emmanuel Macron met with ministers on Sunday evening in a desperate effort to review the situation. Read More Paris shooting: Where are the riots in France and why are they happening? France riots - live: Mayor claims protesters ‘try to assassinate his family’ in fifth night of violence Paris protests: Where are the riots in France and why are they happening?

A Paris suburb mayor said his home was ram-raided and set alight while his wife and children were asleep inside in what he has called an “assassination attempt” on his family amid the unrest that has gripped France following Tuesday’s shooting of a teenager by a police officer. Vincent Jeanbrun, mayor of the southern suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses, said his wife and one of their two children, aged five and seven, were injured as they fled the building in the early hours. The official wrote on social media on Sunday: “Last night, a milestone was reached in horror and ignominy. My home was attacked and my family was the victim of an assassination attempt.” An investigation for attempted murder has been opened, French Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin confirmed, adding: “The perpetrators will answer for their heinous acts.” Meanwhile, the grandmother of the killed teenager urged for an end to the riots and told a French broadcaster: “I tell the people who are rioting this: Do not smash windows, attack schools or buses. Stop!” Riots continued to rage for a fifth night in France overnight, as 45,000 police were deployed and 719 people were arrested across the country by early on Sunday. On Saturday, emotional mourners paid tribute at the funeral of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre, where the teenager was killed during a police traffic stop. Read More Who is Nahel? The teen shot dead by police in France France endures fifth night of violence after teenager’s funeral with street battles in Marseille Is it safe to travel to Paris right now?

The prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case had a burglary tool kit that “can pick any lock”, a witness has claimed. Helge B’s allegations against Christian B cast fresh doubt over the official theory that the then-three-year-old was kidnapped by someone who climbed through the window of her family’s holiday apartment in Portugal 16 years ago. The 52-year-old, a petty criminal himself, told The Sun on Sunday he took the kit from the Algarve home of Christian B, who was in prison for theft at that time. He said: “I knew from Christian that he uses tools to break into holiday resorts, hotels and holiday homes to steal from tourists. “There were passports on the table. There was all sorts of stuff lying around — cameras, suitcases, everything that tourists have with them. I also found a lock pick set. “You can use it to pick any lock, including security locks.” Helge B, who is now in witness protection, said he informed German police about the kit, which includes 14 black stainless steal picks designed for different door types, according to The Sun on Sunday. A police source told the newspaper: “The German detectives were electrified by the discovery of the tool kit with the lock picks in it. This evidence is now very important to them. “It confirmed a suspicion that they’d had for a long time — that Christian B entered the apartment through the door.” When asked how Christian B could have entered the McCanns’ holiday apartment, Helge B suggested: “Through the door. Easily. He can open any door.” The development has led detectives to conclude the window theory could be a “red herring”, according to insiders close to the German police probe, reported The Sun on Sunday. It is understood police are also investigating the possibility Christian B used car paint to sedate Maddie after being told he had access to the solvent because he had been a mechanic. Reports the metal window shutters were rolled up and a curtain was blowing in the apartment after Maddie went missing could be explained by the theory her kidnapper did so to avoid inhaling toxic fumes. Helge B did recently allege to the German outlet Bild that Christian B let slip Maddie “didn’t scream” when she was kidnapped. The pair crossed paths at a music festival in Spain in 2008, Helge B said, when the topic of Maddie’s disappearance “came up and I said: ‘Anyway, I don’t understand how the little one could have disappeared without a trace.’ “Christian had drunk two or three beers, and he said: ‘She didn’t scream.’” In what has been described as the “most heavily reported missing person case in modern history”, Madeleine disappeared in May 2007 while staying with her parents at a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz. Her parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, had been dining with their friends at a restaurant 55 metres away when they discovered she was missing during a routine check at 10pm. The case has remained unsolved for 16 years with no body discovered, however German prosecutors have stated their belief that she was killed. Brueckner was identified as the primary suspect in 2020, with authorities conducting a major search of a remote Algarve reservoir in May as part of their investigation. It is believed that the jailed paedophile had regularly visited the mile-long peninsula and had described it as a “little slice of paradise” when living near the Praia da Luz resort. Brueckner has previous convictions for child sexual abuse, drug trafficking and is currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for raping a 72-year-old pensioner. Read More Madeleine McCann news – latest: Prime suspect’s friend claims Scotland Yard ‘ignored crucial information’ Madeleine McCann suspect ‘said she didn’t scream’ when kidnapped, friend claims in explosive interview Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance Madeleine McCann news: Suspect’s friend claims Scotland Yard ‘ignored information’ AP News Digest 2 p.m. Ukraine is ‘preparing for nuclear explosion at Zaporizhzhia’ MP warns - live