Four more suspects arrested in the Mehdi Kessaci murder case

Marseille – 01.07.2026: In the investigation into the murder of Mehdi Kessaci, police arrested four more suspects on Tuesday. According to judicial sources, the actions were taken as part of ongoing investigations; three of those arrested had previously been in custody in another matter. The provisional arrests are intended to clarify roles, connections and possible logistical contributions to the attack. No official information was initially released about the length of police custody or potential charges.

The case is being coordinated by the public prosecutor’s office specialized in organized crime. The JIRS in Marseille is responsible, working together with national units combating gang crime. In recent months several people had already been questioned and some taken into custody. The recent operations are considered a supplement to previously analyzed telephone and movement data as well as ballistic traces that have been combined in the course of the investigations.

Mehdi Kessaci was shot dead in Marseille in November 2023. He is the brother of anti-drug activist Amine Kessaci, who has been campaigning in the city for years against the violence surrounding the drug trade. The deadly attack attracted wide attention in Marseille and beyond and reignited the debate about the rise in serious firearm violence in gang environments. Investigators have since been examining whether the attack was meticulously planned or the result of a case of mistaken identity. Media reports early on spoke of a possible contracted logic; authorities have been cautious in their comments.

The arrests on Tuesday suggest that the investigations are aimed at several alleged participants from different circles. The focus is on potential perpetrators, helpers for vehicles and accommodations, as well as people who may have played a role in obtaining weapons or communication devices. All suspects are presumed innocent until a possible indictment and a judicial decision.

Marseille has been struggling for years with the dynamics of rival drug dealers, whose conflicts repeatedly erupt in shootings and targeted killings. Authorities are stepping up combined investigative and prevention approaches in particularly affected neighborhoods. The murder of Mehdi Kessaci also carried political weight because it highlighted the vulnerability of young men involved in criminal disputes and intensified calls for the sustainable disarmament of these milieus. With the current arrests, the emphasis shifts again to the court-admissible evidence that will determine whether charges are filed and how the case is legally processed.