A French Jew (of Moroccan parentage) kidnapped on 21 January 2006, by a gang of mostly youths called the "Barbarians" and subsequently tortured to death over a period of three weeks. 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:
On 21 January, Halimi, aged 23, was lured by an attractive young woman to an apartment block in the Parisian suburbs. There Halimi was overwhelmed by a youth gang and kept prisoner for twenty days. During that time, his kidnappers tortured him with burns and knives in order to try to extract a ransom of initially $450,000 euro from his family. Reportedly, neighbors came by to watch but no one called the authorities.
On 13 February, Halimi was found naked and handcuffed near a railroad track in the Parisian suburbs, with burns from acid covering 80% of his body (possibly to destroy evidence of his captors' DNA), and multiple stab wounds, as well as one severed ear and toe. On the way to the hospital, he died from his wounds. In the subsequent days, French police arrested 21 persons in connection with the crime, including the woman used as bait. Originally buried in Paris his body was moved to Jerusalem. Halimi was a cell phone salesman living in Paris with his divorced mother and his two sisters.[3]
On 20 January 2006, one of the perpetrators, Sorour Arbabzadeh (known as Yalda or Emma[4]), a 17-year-old girl of French-Iranian origin,[5] came to the phone store in Paris where Halimi worked and struck a conversation with him. She eventually asked for Halimi's number, which he gave to her, and left the store. The girl called him the next evening and told him to come to her apartment for a drink. He was lured to an apartment block in the Parisian banlieues[6][7] where he was ambushed and held captive by the group upon arrival. No one saw or heard from Halimi until the next afternoon, when his sister received an email containing a picture that showed Halimi gagged and tied up to a chair with a gun to his head. In text, the abductors threatened his life and demanded 450,000 euros from his family, stating that they would kill him if they went to the police. Not having the money, though, Halimi's family had no other option than to contact the police.[8]
The abductors, who called themselves the Gang of Barbarians, tortured him and sent phone and video messages to his family while they were in contact with the police. During the 24 days of abduction, the leader of the gang, Youssouf Fofana, managed to travel back and forth to his home country of Ivory Coast. At some point he was suspected of being related to the gang and was taken to the police station, but they were forced to release him due to a lack of proof of his connection to the group. The demand for ransom, initially elevated at 450,000 euros, diminished as the abductors got more anxious with the attention they were drawing from the police and media. Suspicious neighbours said they did not go to the police station out of fear while others said they did not want to intervene in a business that was not theirs.[citation needed]
After three weeks and no success in finding the captors, the family and the police stopped receiving messages from the captors. Halimi, severely tortured, more than 80% burned and unclothed, was dumped next to a road at Sainte-Geneviève-Des-Bois on 13 February 2006. He was found by a passer-by who immediately called for an ambulance. Halimi died from his injuries on his way to the hospital.
Some[who?] have criticized the police department for not understanding the antisemitic nature of the kidnapping. Their decision to keep certain matters secret was seen as counter-productive, and may have prevented a facial composite of "Emma", the girl who lured Halimi to the apartment.[9] Investigation showed that more than twenty people, some of them teenagers, took part directly or indirectly in the kidnapping. Some of them later claimed they never knew his fate, and "Emma" (who was seventeen at the time), later sent a letter to his family to say how sorry she was.[citation needed]
A woman, referred to as Audrey L., turned herself in after the police had released a facial composite picture. She pointed to the Barbarians, a gang of African and North African immigrants who had perpetrated similar abductions in the past. In the subsequent days, French police arrested 15 persons in connection with the crime. The leader of the gang, Youssouf Fofana (born 1980), who had been born in Paris to parents from Côte d'Ivoire, fled to his parents' homeland together with the woman used as bait.[10] They were arrested on February 23 in Abidjan and extradited to France on March 4, 2006.
On 21 January, Halimi, aged 23, was lured by an attractive young woman to an apartment block in the Parisian suburbs. There Halimi was overwhelmed by a youth gang and kept prisoner for twenty days. During that time, his kidnappers tortured him with burns and knives in order to try to extract a ransom of initially $450,000 euro from his family. Reportedly, neighbors came by to watch but no one called the authorities.
On 13 February, Halimi was found naked and handcuffed near a railroad track in the Parisian suburbs, with burns from acid covering 80% of his body (possibly to destroy evidence of his captors' DNA), and multiple stab wounds, as well as one severed ear and toe. On the way to the hospital, he died from his wounds. In the subsequent days, French police arrested 21 persons in connection with the crime, including the woman used as bait. Originally buried in Paris his body was moved to Jerusalem. Halimi was a cell phone salesman living in Paris with his divorced mother and his two sisters.[3]
On 20 January 2006, one of the perpetrators, Sorour Arbabzadeh (known as Yalda or Emma[4]), a 17-year-old girl of French-Iranian origin,[5] came to the phone store in Paris where Halimi worked and struck a conversation with him. She eventually asked for Halimi's number, which he gave to her, and left the store. The girl called him the next evening and told him to come to her apartment for a drink. He was lured to an apartment block in the Parisian banlieues[6][7] where he was ambushed and held captive by the group upon arrival. No one saw or heard from Halimi until the next afternoon, when his sister received an email containing a picture that showed Halimi gagged and tied up to a chair with a gun to his head. In text, the abductors threatened his life and demanded 450,000 euros from his family, stating that they would kill him if they went to the police. Not having the money, though, Halimi's family had no other option than to contact the police.[8]
The abductors, who called themselves the Gang of Barbarians, tortured him and sent phone and video messages to his family while they were in contact with the police. During the 24 days of abduction, the leader of the gang, Youssouf Fofana, managed to travel back and forth to his home country of Ivory Coast. At some point he was suspected of being related to the gang and was taken to the police station, but they were forced to release him due to a lack of proof of his connection to the group. The demand for ransom, initially elevated at 450,000 euros, diminished as the abductors got more anxious with the attention they were drawing from the police and media. Suspicious neighbours said they did not go to the police station out of fear while others said they did not want to intervene in a business that was not theirs.[citation needed]
After three weeks and no success in finding the captors, the family and the police stopped receiving messages from the captors. Halimi, severely tortured, more than 80% burned and unclothed, was dumped next to a road at Sainte-Geneviève-Des-Bois on 13 February 2006. He was found by a passer-by who immediately called for an ambulance. Halimi died from his injuries on his way to the hospital.
Some[who?] have criticized the police department for not understanding the antisemitic nature of the kidnapping. Their decision to keep certain matters secret was seen as counter-productive, and may have prevented a facial composite of "Emma", the girl who lured Halimi to the apartment.[9] Investigation showed that more than twenty people, some of them teenagers, took part directly or indirectly in the kidnapping. Some of them later claimed they never knew his fate, and "Emma" (who was seventeen at the time), later sent a letter to his family to say how sorry she was.[citation needed]
A woman, referred to as Audrey L., turned herself in after the police had released a facial composite picture. She pointed to the Barbarians, a gang of African and North African immigrants who had perpetrated similar abductions in the past. In the subsequent days, French police arrested 15 persons in connection with the crime. The leader of the gang, Youssouf Fofana (born 1980), who had been born in Paris to parents from Côte d'Ivoire, fled to his parents' homeland together with the woman used as bait.[10] They were arrested on February 23 in Abidjan and extradited to France on March 4, 2006.
A French Jew (of Moroccan parentage) kidnapped on 21 January 2006, by a gang of mostly youths called the "Barbarians" and subsequently tortured to death over a period of three weeks. 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:
On 21 January, Halimi, aged 23, was lured by an attractive young woman to an apartment block in the Parisian suburbs. There Halimi was overwhelmed by a youth gang and kept prisoner for twenty days. During that time, his kidnappers tortured him with burns and knives in order to try to extract a ransom of initially $450,000 euro from his family. Reportedly, neighbors came by to watch but no one called the authorities.
On 13 February, Halimi was found naked and handcuffed near a railroad track in the Parisian suburbs, with burns from acid covering 80% of his body (possibly to destroy evidence of his captors' DNA), and multiple stab wounds, as well as one severed ear and toe. On the way to the hospital, he died from his wounds. In the subsequent days, French police arrested 21 persons in connection with the crime, including the woman used as bait. Originally buried in Paris his body was moved to Jerusalem. Halimi was a cell phone salesman living in Paris with his divorced mother and his two sisters.[3]
On 20 January 2006, one of the perpetrators, Sorour Arbabzadeh (known as Yalda or Emma[4]), a 17-year-old girl of French-Iranian origin,[5] came to the phone store in Paris where Halimi worked and struck a conversation with him. She eventually asked for Halimi's number, which he gave to her, and left the store. The girl called him the next evening and told him to come to her apartment for a drink. He was lured to an apartment block in the Parisian banlieues[6][7] where he was ambushed and held captive by the group upon arrival. No one saw or heard from Halimi until the next afternoon, when his sister received an email containing a picture that showed Halimi gagged and tied up to a chair with a gun to his head. In text, the abductors threatened his life and demanded 450,000 euros from his family, stating that they would kill him if they went to the police. Not having the money, though, Halimi's family had no other option than to contact the police.[8]
The abductors, who called themselves the Gang of Barbarians, tortured him and sent phone and video messages to his family while they were in contact with the police. During the 24 days of abduction, the leader of the gang, Youssouf Fofana, managed to travel back and forth to his home country of Ivory Coast. At some point he was suspected of being related to the gang and was taken to the police station, but they were forced to release him due to a lack of proof of his connection to the group. The demand for ransom, initially elevated at 450,000 euros, diminished as the abductors got more anxious with the attention they were drawing from the police and media. Suspicious neighbours said they did not go to the police station out of fear while others said they did not want to intervene in a business that was not theirs.[citation needed]
After three weeks and no success in finding the captors, the family and the police stopped receiving messages from the captors. Halimi, severely tortured, more than 80% burned and unclothed, was dumped next to a road at Sainte-Geneviève-Des-Bois on 13 February 2006. He was found by a passer-by who immediately called for an ambulance. Halimi died from his injuries on his way to the hospital.
Some[who?] have criticized the police department for not understanding the antisemitic nature of the kidnapping. Their decision to keep certain matters secret was seen as counter-productive, and may have prevented a facial composite of "Emma", the girl who lured Halimi to the apartment.[9] Investigation showed that more than twenty people, some of them teenagers, took part directly or indirectly in the kidnapping. Some of them later claimed they never knew his fate, and "Emma" (who was seventeen at the time), later sent a letter to his family to say how sorry she was.[citation needed]
A woman, referred to as Audrey L., turned herself in after the police had released a facial composite picture. She pointed to the Barbarians, a gang of African and North African immigrants who had perpetrated similar abductions in the past. In the subsequent days, French police arrested 15 persons in connection with the crime. The leader of the gang, Youssouf Fofana (born 1980), who had been born in Paris to parents from Côte d'Ivoire, fled to his parents' homeland together with the woman used as bait.[10] They were arrested on February 23 in Abidjan and extradited to France on March 4, 2006.
On 21 January, Halimi, aged 23, was lured by an attractive young woman to an apartment block in the Parisian suburbs. There Halimi was overwhelmed by a youth gang and kept prisoner for twenty days. During that time, his kidnappers tortured him with burns and knives in order to try to extract a ransom of initially $450,000 euro from his family. Reportedly, neighbors came by to watch but no one called the authorities.
On 13 February, Halimi was found naked and handcuffed near a railroad track in the Parisian suburbs, with burns from acid covering 80% of his body (possibly to destroy evidence of his captors' DNA), and multiple stab wounds, as well as one severed ear and toe. On the way to the hospital, he died from his wounds. In the subsequent days, French police arrested 21 persons in connection with the crime, including the woman used as bait. Originally buried in Paris his body was moved to Jerusalem. Halimi was a cell phone salesman living in Paris with his divorced mother and his two sisters.[3]
On 20 January 2006, one of the perpetrators, Sorour Arbabzadeh (known as Yalda or Emma[4]), a 17-year-old girl of French-Iranian origin,[5] came to the phone store in Paris where Halimi worked and struck a conversation with him. She eventually asked for Halimi's number, which he gave to her, and left the store. The girl called him the next evening and told him to come to her apartment for a drink. He was lured to an apartment block in the Parisian banlieues[6][7] where he was ambushed and held captive by the group upon arrival. No one saw or heard from Halimi until the next afternoon, when his sister received an email containing a picture that showed Halimi gagged and tied up to a chair with a gun to his head. In text, the abductors threatened his life and demanded 450,000 euros from his family, stating that they would kill him if they went to the police. Not having the money, though, Halimi's family had no other option than to contact the police.[8]
The abductors, who called themselves the Gang of Barbarians, tortured him and sent phone and video messages to his family while they were in contact with the police. During the 24 days of abduction, the leader of the gang, Youssouf Fofana, managed to travel back and forth to his home country of Ivory Coast. At some point he was suspected of being related to the gang and was taken to the police station, but they were forced to release him due to a lack of proof of his connection to the group. The demand for ransom, initially elevated at 450,000 euros, diminished as the abductors got more anxious with the attention they were drawing from the police and media. Suspicious neighbours said they did not go to the police station out of fear while others said they did not want to intervene in a business that was not theirs.[citation needed]
After three weeks and no success in finding the captors, the family and the police stopped receiving messages from the captors. Halimi, severely tortured, more than 80% burned and unclothed, was dumped next to a road at Sainte-Geneviève-Des-Bois on 13 February 2006. He was found by a passer-by who immediately called for an ambulance. Halimi died from his injuries on his way to the hospital.
Some[who?] have criticized the police department for not understanding the antisemitic nature of the kidnapping. Their decision to keep certain matters secret was seen as counter-productive, and may have prevented a facial composite of "Emma", the girl who lured Halimi to the apartment.[9] Investigation showed that more than twenty people, some of them teenagers, took part directly or indirectly in the kidnapping. Some of them later claimed they never knew his fate, and "Emma" (who was seventeen at the time), later sent a letter to his family to say how sorry she was.[citation needed]
A woman, referred to as Audrey L., turned herself in after the police had released a facial composite picture. She pointed to the Barbarians, a gang of African and North African immigrants who had perpetrated similar abductions in the past. In the subsequent days, French police arrested 15 persons in connection with the crime. The leader of the gang, Youssouf Fofana (born 1980), who had been born in Paris to parents from Côte d'Ivoire, fled to his parents' homeland together with the woman used as bait.[10] They were arrested on February 23 in Abidjan and extradited to France on March 4, 2006.
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