Halimi murder suspect detained

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Leader of gang behind brutal killing of French Jew arrested in Ivory Coast, handed over to French investigators

Youssouf Fofana, who is suspected of leading the gang that abducted, tortured and murdered French Jew Ilan Halimi, was detained Thursday morning in the Ivory Coast.

French authorities initially denied but later admitted anti-Semitism played a role in the shocking murder.

Gangleader in French anti-semitic murder arrested in Ivory Coast. The Ivorian president stated Fofana will be extradited to France (link in French. You can also watch a video Arrestation de Fofana).

As I posted in an update to yesterday's post, France2, BBC, Reuters fail to see antisemitic murder for what it is, government-owned France2 news last night finally declared the murder an anti-Semitic crime. CNN, however, uses scare quotes: Arrest in French 'anti-Semitic' death, along with the Beeb: French 'anti-Jew gang chief' held. The NYT couches the terms partially French Officials Now Say Killing of Jew Was in Part a Hate Crime. French Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy is certain: Sarkozy says religion made slain Jew a target.

As reported by M&C News, French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin were expected to attend a memorial service for Halimi later today in Paris' main synagogue in a sign of support for the shocked French Jewish community, the largest in Western Europe.

As Hitchens says, "only a moral cretin thinks that anti-Semitism is a threat only to Jews".

Philomathean has further comment. Gateway Pundit also has a post.

Update
Reuters stays on the kidnapped-for-ransom slant, avoiding the anti-Semitic issue:

Policemen prevent people from approaching a Paris synagogue as the room is already overcrowded, February 23, 2006. French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin attended a ceremony in memory of Jewish man Ilan Halimi, 23. Halimi was found tortured and burnt south of Paris after being held for three weeks by a gang demanding a large ransom. He died of his injuries shortly afterwards.

(technorati tags Ilan Halimi, France, Nicholas Sarkozy, anti-Semitism)