THE MERAH AFFAIR: ITINERARY OF A KILLER | France 3 | Histoire immédiate

On March 22 2012, France is in shock, aghast at the slaughter carried out by one Mohamed Merah. Right in the middle of the Presidential campaign, the French are stunned to discover that the monster, the child slayer, is a young man from the suburbs, barely 23 years old. Who is he really and how did he come to kill seven people in cold blood? Over more than six months we met dozens of witnesses in the case, people close to the investigation, had access to exclusive documents in an attempt to understand what it was in this minor suburban delinquent’s history that pushed him to the criminal act. And for the first time, his family and his friends assisted us in pinning down the character of Mohamed Merah. Thus we were able to reconstruct, year upon year, the various stages of his life?the housing estate, prison, his trips abroad?that could have led him to commit these atrocities. Are his crimes the act of a madman, or those of a religious fanatic? What links did he have with the radical Islamic movement? What role did his family play? Was he a grass, manipulated by the intelligence agencies? The answers provided in this documentary often run counter to the official versions. From Toulouse to Pakistan, the documentary retraces the journey of Mohamed Merah, right up to his murderous act in 2012. The painstaking investigation also reveals the weaknesses of a judicial system that failed to neutralize him much earlier.