Topic: Ilan Halimi

Ilan Halimi (11 October 1982 - 13 February 2006) was a young French Jew (of Moroccan parentage) kidnapped on 21 January 2006 by an ethnic gang called the "Barbarians" and subsequently tortured, over a period of three weeks, resulting in his death. The murder, amongst whose motives authorities include antisemitism, incited a public outcry in a France already marked by intense public controversy about the role of children of Muslim immigrants in its society.

According to press reports based on information from French criminal investigation authorities, as of 25 February 2006 the crime is believed to have happened as follows:

Implicated in the crime are the members of a youth gang calling themselves "les barbares" (the Barbarians), many of whom were Muslim. The people so far arrested are mostly unemployed children of immigrants from African countries. In total, more than 20 people are suspects. Fourteen are under arrest by the police and 11 are being charged with kidnapping and murder with the aggravating circumstance of antisemitism.