Criminal Released

In July 2010 Grenoble was the scene of a major eruption of urban violence. The story spread beyond the borders of France and was reported by many foreign news sources. The hold-up of a casino by Monsif Ghabbour (above) and Karim Boudouda was the origin of the violence. Now Nations Presse reports that Ghabbour has been released from prison:

During the night of July 15-16, 2010, two men held up the Uriage casino, triggering a police chase that ended with the death of one of the hold-up men, Karim Boudouda, following a shoot-out with the police. His accomplice had fled and Boudouda's death ignited three nights of urban violence in the Villeneuve neighborhood of Grenoble where Boudouda had lived. The police were the targets of real bullets. The alleged second hold-up man, Monsif Ghabbour, was arrested a month an a half after the event.

The appeals court of Grenoble decided on Friday (July 13) to release Ghabbour under judicial supervision. The prosecution opposed the release, citing "potential dangers to public order". However, according to his lawyer, the suspect had only been designated "by rumor", and that for the moment, nothing pointed to his guilt. 

And yet, traces of DNA in the hold-up car had led to his arrest in the first place.

Note: It is clear from the above that there has been no trial yet. Two years have gone by, though such delays are not uncommon when crime is rampant. It may be that there will never be a trial if no new evidence turns up.

Monsif Ghabbour remains under judicial supervision. He will not wear the electronic bracelet, but he must reside outside the department of l'Isère.

Once again, priority is given to the "well-being" of the criminal who will have the leisure to pursue his misdeeds. And this, despite the warning from the prosecution, conscious of the threat posed by this individual.

Read the complete account of the violence in Grenoble posted at GalliaWatch on July 19, 2010. Here are two excerpts:

Demonstrators and police exchanged gunshots, cars and businesses burned: violent incidents erupted during the night of July 16-17, in Grenoble, after the death, the night before, of an armed robber who was killed in a confrontation with the police. Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux arrived Saturday afternoon in La Villeneuve, the working class neighborhood in Grenoble that was shaken by the violence. (…)

It was after an imam recited a prayer for the dead man, before a group of fifty youths who had gathered in a park, that the situation degenerated. Small groups of vandals using baseball bats smashed bus stops and a trolley car, tear gas bombs were thrown, and several fires, notably in a garage, a technical center and a gym were reported by AFP.