Overview
- The national anti‑crime prosecutor (Pnaco) announced on Tuesday that four suspects aged 20–25 were formally charged and remanded in custody, bringing the number of people mise en examen in the November 2025 killing of Mehdi Kessaci to eleven.
- Those newly charged face offences including murder and attempted murder in an organised gang and participation in a criminal association aimed at preparing a crime, according to Pnaco statements reported by local press.
- Reporting describes three of the suspects as 'logisticians' who helped organise the operation or handled tasks after the shooting and a fourth as the alleged hired shooter; officials say the four were already known to the justice system.
- The investigation has shifted toward a mistaken‑target theory after press reporting that Mehdi answered a call on a phone registered to his brother Amine just before the attack, and investigators note Mehdi had no links to narcotrafficking and had considered joining the police.
- The case follows an initial wave of arrests on March 23 that led to six formal charges and a further arrest on May 18; the Pnaco’s continuing coordinated operations in Marseille and Hérault could produce more detentions and deepen probes into drug‑linked violence and threats against anti‑drug activists.