DZ Mafia trial: co-defendant accuses Oualane and Harrat
Zakaria Bensaci named Amine Oualane as the gunman and Karim Harrat as the instigator at the triple-murder trial in Aix-en-Provence on 2 November. Both deny involvement, AFP reports.
At the 28 October hearing, 23-year-old Amine Kessaci spoke about his half-brother and the impact of his death on their family. According to courtroom reports by Marsactu and Le Monde, he stressed that he sought justice rather than revenge. Kessaci has police protection. His testimony followed a day marked by fear and tension in court.
Fearful witnesses and tensions between those present marked the 27 October hearing in Aix-en-Provence. Le Parisien reports an argument after a lawyer said a civil party had threatened him. One witness refused to look at the accused because he was afraid.
The trial concerns the deaths of Brahim Chabane, Réda Khaldi and Nassim Loubani on 29 December 2020. Chabane was the half-brother of anti-drug activist Amine Kessaci. Five men face charges over their alleged involvement in the triple killing.
They include Amine Oualane, known as Mamine or Jalisco, and Karim Harrat, nicknamed Rantanplan. Harrat denied any involvement at an earlier hearing. Oualane also disputes the allegations. Proceedings are heavily secured.
The trial opened on 19 October and remains ongoing. Oualane was acquitted in spring in a separate case concerning a 2019 double killing; prosecutors appealed.
AFP reported on 30 October that lawyer Karim Morand-Lahouazi questioned police in Aix-en-Provence about the link between Harrat and the Sky ECC profile Le Rant 2. An investigator pointed to its similarity to his alleged nickname Le Rant. Harrat denied that nickname and any involvement in the three murders. According to AFP, the messages discussed at the hearing concerned a bloodied car and burning a body.
AFP reported that co-defendant Zakaria Bensaci on 2 November identified Oualane for the first time as the man who fired the shots and Harrat as the instigator of the three killings. His account followed testimony from the victims’ mothers. Oualane and Harrat deny involvement, according to the agency. The five defendants apologised to the mothers during the hearing.
