Heavy Sentences Handed Down in Fatal Mistaken Identity Shooting Linked to Drug Trade

Elias Basbas, the alleged shooter, and Mohamed Mordjane, the alleged mastermind, were sentenced to thirty years of criminal imprisonment. Mordjane, said to be on the run in Morocco, is subject to an international arrest warrant and was convicted in absentia. Melk Ghezali, the vehicle’s driver, was sentenced to 25 years of criminal imprisonment. His admission of the facts did not lighten his sentence, even though the public prosecutor had requested a slightly lower sentence for him.

Houcine Hakkar, a young mechanic, was targeted by mistake, the victim of a tragic misunderstanding. On March 8, 2020, on Avenue Siffert, he was shot in the head while at the wheel of his car. His friend, Rabah Khaldi, present in the vehicle, miraculously survived.

The members of the "Mordjane clan" thought they were targeting their rivals, the "Parisians". Melk Ghezali explained to the court that they had been tasked with "taking a tour" to locate them. They chased a dark Mégane, believing they were reaching their enemies. The mistake was made too late.

For Houcine Hakkar’s family, the verdict does not erase the pain. Me Jérôme Pichoff, the lawyers for the civil parties, expressed the relief of the relatives in the face of the recognition of the guilt of the accused. He stressed the impossibility of forgiving "the unforgivable". The fear of reprisals hung over the debates, the lawyers of Ghezali evoking death threats.