Al-Jazeera: We Won't Air French Gunman's Video

USB stick contains footage of killings, Koran readings
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 26, 2012 11:27 PM CDT
Updated Mar 27, 2012 7:30 AM CDT
French Gunman Sent Video to Al-Jazeera
Nicolas Sarkozy speaks to magistrates and policemen at the Elysee palace in Paris, Tuesday, March, 27, 2012.   (AP Photo/Kenzo Tribouillard, Pool)

Mohamed Merah's video of his killing spree will not see the light of day, at least not by way of al-Jazeera. The network announced that the video neither provided any fresh info nor met al-Jazeera's code of ethics for broadcast. It revealed that Merah's face was never shown in the video, and he made no statement in it. Nicolas Sarkozy earlier warned al-Jazeera and all other media to not even think about airing the footage "out of respect for the victims and for France."

The USB stick sent to al-Jazeera contains a 25-minute "video montage of the various killings set to music and readings from the Koran," a police source tells Reuters. Investigators are trying to determine if the gunman sent it himself or if it was mailed by an accomplice. Merah, who told police he was responsible for the murders of three French soldiers, a rabbi, and three Jewish children, wore a camera around his neck as he carried out the killings. He boasted that he had uploaded video of the attacks to the Internet, although it hasn't been found online, the Telegraph notes. French prosecutors have filed murder and terrorism charges against Merah's brother. (More Mohammad Merah stories.)

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