Mohammed Merah, suspected of killing seven in Toulouse, died after resisting Police who were advancing on his apartment Thursday.
French Interior Minister Claude Guéant told reporters that Merah was hiding in the bathroom when Police entered his place.
The moment the policemen came in, Merah stormed them, shooting wildly and injuring three, and then jumped out a window. He was found dead on ground.
One policemen is in serious condition.
The assault was underway according to a source close to the investigation, after three loud explosions were heard around 10:30 am Thursday by AFP journalists on the outskirts of Toulouse, where the building where Mohamed Merah holed up for over 31 hours has been cut off from public access.
Police told AFP they were moving slowly, in case the apartment was booby-trapped.
Police suspected Mohammed Merah, 23, of murdering four people at Ozar HaTorah school last Monday and three soldiers the week before.
Police surrounded Merah’s block after two officers were shot when they tried to get into his flat in early dawn Wednesday. They say Merah is heavily armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, a mini-Uzi 9mm machine pistol, several handguns and possibly grenades.
French prosecutor provided a clearer picture of Mohammed Merah, giving background and the circumstances of his identification as the killer:
He was on Welfare.
He was arrested on 15 occasions in France.
Four weapons were found in a car in his possession: two sub machine guns and two shotguns.
Explosives found in brother’s car, and Police say the brother was heavily involved in the crimes,
During the siege, Merah shouted at Police that he belonged to al-Qaeda. He then demurred: “I don’t have the soul of a martyr, I want to stay alive.”
Merah admitted to the killings and said he planned to kill again. this morning, targeting two military servicemen he had identified. He also planned to gun down police officers.
He expressed no regret and said it was too bad he didn’t take out more victims. He expressed pride that he had “brought France to its knees.”
Mohammed Merah, suspected of killing seven in Toulouse, died after resisting Police who were advancing on his apartment Thursday. French Interior Minister Claude Guéant told reporters that Merah was hiding in the bathroom when Police entered his place. The moment the policemen came in, Merah stormed them, shooting wildly and injuring three, and then jumped out a window. He was found dead on ground.