The brutal rape and murder of a 12-year-old school girl by Algerian migrants has opened fresh debate on the migrant crisis.
Marine Le Pen, French Opposition leader, blamed the government for its "lax" migration policy. "The suspect in this barbaric act should not have been in our country; what's keeping you from finally putting a stop to this uncontrolled, clandestine immigration?" asked the leader of the far-right National Rally party.
Far-right leader Éric Zemmour, who is a former presidential candidate, said the crime was "Francocide", or the killing of a French person. A Republican member of the National Assembly, Éric Pauget, told the justice minister that "Lola lost her life because you didn't expel this national," according to BBC.
The Murder of Lola
France has been in shock after four Algerian migrants were arrested in the brutal murder and rape of a 12-year-old school girl whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase. She had been shackled and her throat slashed. Her hands and feet were bound, tape around the face. The body was discovered by a homeless man just a few streets away from the victim's home.
The police said two suspects have been charged with murder of minor under the age of 15 in connection with a rape committed with acts of "torture and barbarism"; rape of a minor under the age of 15 with acts of torture and barbarism; and concealment of a corpse.
Autopsy revealed that the child died of asphyxiation. Numbers "one" and "zero" were imprinted on the body. It remains unclear as to what the numbers mean and how they were imprinted. It's believed that the school girl was alive when she was bound with tape as determined by the blood splatters.
Lola, the School Girl
The school girl, identified as Lola, was reported missing on Friday. Her father said she didn't return after her classes at Georges-Brassens College. Lola, described with medium-length blond hair, wearing white jeans with holes in them, a white hoodie, a sleeveless jacket and white sneakers, was reported missing by her mother Delphine at the police station of the XIXth. Delphine had also posted a desperate message on social media to find her daughter..."Our daughter Lola was last seen at 3:20 p.m. in the company of a woman we do not know in our residence."
Security footage revealed that Lola entered the building alongside Dahbia B, a homeless immigrant from Algeria, on Friday. She was holding the suitcase the body was later discovered in. A resident highlighted that he saw the suspect dragging the suitcase around two hours prior to Lola's disappearance.
Suspect Suffering from Psychological Issues
A source said the alleged murdered seems to have earned the victim's confidence and led her into a cellar below the building, where the school girl was attacked. Witnesses said they saw the suspect dragging the suitcase around town, which was stained with blood and smelt strongly of bleach.
One of the witnesses revealed that the suspect was struggling to carry the suitcase. "We thought it was because it was heavy items and she was quite slim...we never thought it was a body...It was 5 p.m. and she was walking around with the suitcase, she even left it outside a cafe and went to the bakery opposite to buy a croissant as if nothing had happened."
The source said the suspect had been talking about selling organs and body parts. But it doesn't make any sense. Police said the suspect acted alone and gratuitously, and defiled the victim before killing her. "The suspect is believed to suffer with serious psychological problems, she was living on the street but had friends and family in the Paris area," the source said.
The prosecution office believes a 24-year-old man is the main suspect. The second suspect is in his 40s – he helped the younger male accomplice transport the body. The four suspects are Dahbia B, Amine K, Friha B, and Rachid N. They are from the same Algerian village, but one of them entered France illegally.
Investigators are trying to establish what role the two female suspects played in the case. It's being assumed that the girl was kidnapped and targeted for organ harvesting. Investigations are continuing.
