French prosecutors initiated an unprecedented terrorism investigation into the murder of a 46-year-old Tunisian hairdresser, marking the first time the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) had pursued a case explicitly “on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion,” according to Politico.
Hichem Miraoui was fatally stabbed over the weekend in a village near the French Riviera by a neighbour who subsequently posted videos containing “racist and hateful content” on social media before and after the attack.
The PNAT, established in 2019 following a series of deadly extremist attacks, is examining both the murder itself and potential conspiracy elements. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau stated the suspect’s videos leave “no doubt” about racial motivation, though the investigation will formally determine the precise motives.
The 52-year-old French suspect, born in 1971, remains in custody while prosecutors scrutinise digital evidence and witness testimonies.
This landmark approach contrasts sharply with the PNAT’s previous reluctance to pursue racially charged cases. In December 2022, it declined jurisdiction over a Paris Kurdish community centre shooting that killed three, sparking outcry. Similarly, the April 2024 fatal stabbing of Aboubakar Cissé—a Muslim man attacked while praying in a mosque—was delegated to local prosecutors without terrorism classification.
Mourad Battikh, the lawyer representing families of both Miraoui and Cissé, condemned institutional inaction.
I told the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, ‘Be careful, this is not an isolated case … what is happening is the result of something bigger that is beyond our control.’ Today, unfortunately, the facts prove me right.
The case ignited fierce political debate, with left-wing figures accusing politicians like Retailleau—a hardliner on immigration—of fostering intolerance through divisive rhetoric. Retailleau’s own public condemnation of the attack has done little to quell accusations of hypocrisy.
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, recently barred from leadership over corruption convictions, has long promoted anti-immigration platforms. Meanwhile, historical precedents abound: high-profile tragedies, from the 2017 police killing on the Champs-Élysées to the 2002 assault on retiree Paul Voise, have frequently been weaponised to advance political agendas.
