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| Corsica lawyer Antoine Sollacaro assassinated in Ajaccio | Corsica lawyer Antoine Sollacaro assassinated in Ajaccio |
| (7 days later) | |
| A leading Corsican lawyer has been assassinated on his way to work, becoming the 15th victim this year of a spate of violence that police are linking to criminal gangs. | A leading Corsican lawyer has been assassinated on his way to work, becoming the 15th victim this year of a spate of violence that police are linking to criminal gangs. |
| Antoine Sollacaro, one of the most prominent lawyers on the island, was shot while driving to work in the capital city of Ajaccio. | Antoine Sollacaro, one of the most prominent lawyers on the island, was shot while driving to work in the capital city of Ajaccio. |
| The 63-year-old, who was president of the bar association of Corsica, had defended a number of leading nationalists who have fought for independence from France and was a high-profile figure in the island's separatist movement. | The 63-year-old, who was president of the bar association of Corsica, had defended a number of leading nationalists who have fought for independence from France and was a high-profile figure in the island's separatist movement. |
| He defended Yvan Colonna, who is serving life in jail for murdering the French prefect Claude Erignac, the highest state representative on the Mediterranean island, in 1998. | He defended Yvan Colonna, who is serving life in jail for murdering the French prefect Claude Erignac, the highest state representative on the Mediterranean island, in 1998. |
| Sollacaro was pulling up in his Porsche at a garage near Ajaccio at 9am on Tuesday to buy a newspaper when the killers struck. His car was still moving as two men on a motorbike who had been following him approached the vehicle. | Sollacaro was pulling up in his Porsche at a garage near Ajaccio at 9am on Tuesday to buy a newspaper when the killers struck. His car was still moving as two men on a motorbike who had been following him approached the vehicle. |
| The passenger jumped off the motorbike and shot the lawyer six times in the head and neck with an automatic pistol, before jumping back on the bike and speeding off. | The passenger jumped off the motorbike and shot the lawyer six times in the head and neck with an automatic pistol, before jumping back on the bike and speeding off. |
| An hour before the murder, the body of Jean-Dominique Allegrini Simonetti, 50, a former nationalist militant, was discovered in mountains on the island. | An hour before the murder, the body of Jean-Dominique Allegrini Simonetti, 50, a former nationalist militant, was discovered in mountains on the island. |
| Manuel Valls, the French interior minister, insisted law and order must be returned to the island after the killings and said he would visit Corsica in the next few weeks. | Manuel Valls, the French interior minister, insisted law and order must be returned to the island after the killings and said he would visit Corsica in the next few weeks. |
| "The fight for security will be carried out with the greatest resolve," he said. "When the gowns of an advocate are attacked, it is a symbol of the challenge to the rule of law. The state will not forget the cruel price that its servants have paid [in Corsica]. It will mobilise to secure the end to this violence, something that is dearly wished by the vast majority of the population." | "The fight for security will be carried out with the greatest resolve," he said. "When the gowns of an advocate are attacked, it is a symbol of the challenge to the rule of law. The state will not forget the cruel price that its servants have paid [in Corsica]. It will mobilise to secure the end to this violence, something that is dearly wished by the vast majority of the population." |
| Many of the killings have been linked to a settling of scores between members of rival crime gangs, some of whom also have links with nationalist movements. | Many of the killings have been linked to a settling of scores between members of rival crime gangs, some of whom also have links with nationalist movements. |
| Sollacaro also defended some of the island's most notorious and feared criminal figures. Police are looking into his business and property dealings. | Sollacaro also defended some of the island's most notorious and feared criminal figures. Police are looking into his business and property dealings. |
| Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French prime minister, said the island's plummet into lawlessness was "intolerable". He added: "The government is determined to act against the plague of organised crime in Corsica." | Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French prime minister, said the island's plummet into lawlessness was "intolerable". He added: "The government is determined to act against the plague of organised crime in Corsica." |
| Corsica, two-thirds of which is mountainous, is a popular holiday destination and the birthplace of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. The northern town of Calvi also claims to be the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. | Corsica, two-thirds of which is mountainous, is a popular holiday destination and the birthplace of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. The northern town of Calvi also claims to be the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. |
| After hearing of the murder, Alain Pacoud, the president of the Human Rights League in southern Corsica, a position previously held by Sollacaro, told French journalists: "It's madness. Now we are not safe from anything. This could happen to anyone one day." | After hearing of the murder, Alain Pacoud, the president of the Human Rights League in southern Corsica, a position previously held by Sollacaro, told French journalists: "It's madness. Now we are not safe from anything. This could happen to anyone one day." |
| He added: "For a long time we thought this kind of thing was limited to the gangs, to the louts, but now they've killed a lawyer. Violence is poisoning the social body of the whole island." | He added: "For a long time we thought this kind of thing was limited to the gangs, to the louts, but now they've killed a lawyer. Violence is poisoning the social body of the whole island." |
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