Moroccan Man Faces Trial for 2003 Attempted Murder in Nîmes

The facts date back to 2003. Neighbors had discovered a bloodied man losing consciousness in a building on rue de la Madeleine in Nîmes on January 8. Alerted, the police and emergency services had gone to the scene. The victim, a 38-year-old homosexual, had been admitted to the emergency room in critical condition, reports Midi Libre. Several knife wounds to the neck (severed carotid artery) and a blow to the chest area had been identified by the doctors.

During the searches of the apartment where the assault took place, police from the Departmental Security had found blood on the bed and in places up to the landing of the apartment. They had also found a bottle of whiskey and two glasses on a living room table, and a bloodied kitchen knife at the foot of the bed.

The police continue the investigation. On January 30, 2003, a 22-year-old Moroccan living in Spain whose father lived in Nîmes is suspected of having tried to kill the thirtysomething. The two men know each other. In 2009, an arrest warrant had been issued against Mohamed El Messaoudi. Arrested recently, he will be immediately incarcerated.

The victim told the investigators that his alleged aggressor had tried to steal his money, as he had seen him when his boss had paid him in cash.

18 years after this attempted murder, Mohamed’s trial opens this Monday, September 20, before the Gard Assize Court.