After two years on the run in Morocco, the suspect in the Loomis robbery returns to France

The hearing of two men from Lorient by the criminal chamber of the Interregional Specialized Court in Rennes took place on Wednesday, November 19. They are suspected of having participated, directly or indirectly, in the attempted robbery of the Loomis cash center in March 2023. The first to be questioned is 26 years old. On the run in Morocco for more than two years, he decided to return to France for his trial. Greeted by the police upon his arrival by plane on November 3, he appears free. He is said to have hosted part of the robbery commando at his home. Suspicions motivated by a simple fact: several suspects were located near his home, located only 350 meters from the cash center. But the man from Lorient claims he has no connection to this case and that he does not know any of the other defendants except his friend.

Fourteen individuals are being tried in this case. They are being prosecuted for criminal conspiracy and attempted organized robbery.

At the bar, the friend, a 33-year-old man, "denies everything, to the absurd: he does not recognize himself in the photos, claims not to have had a phone," reports France Bleu. He would be one of the key elements of the attempted robbery. "I was there to serve as a tourist guide" to an acquaintance, asserts the man nicknamed "The Turk." This acquaintance is the man who admitted to having drilled the hole in the store during the robbery. His lawyer, Elodie Brault, defends him: "There are photos but for my part, I also have trouble recognizing him. I have the phone analysis of his entourage, but I do not have that of my client since he will only be implicated several months after the facts and it is an investigation work where we will start from the premise that he is guilty and then work to accredit this thesis."

The thirty-year-old is also involved in the kidnapping of a drug dealer in Spain. As a repeat offender, he faces 20 years in prison, it is specified. The debates around this Spanish case will take place at the end of this week. The deliberation is expected on Tuesday, November 25.