The man who managed to penetrate the Nîmes courthouse on Friday 12 June before committing suicide was a resident of Lozère who was looking for "mafia magistrates", according to sources familiar with the matter. A letter-testament, the content of which is not known at this stage, was found in his vehicle parked in the parking lot of the Arena, opposite the courthouse.
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The 46-year-old man entered the court of appeal at around 8:10 a.m. through a door reserved for officials and magistrates of the courthouse, which normally opens with a badge, according to initial investigations. He hid a hunting rifle in a bag and concealed ammunition in his legs and belt before traveling for approximately 10 minutes to various premises of the court of appeal, including the civil registry.
According to the same sources and testimonies collected by an AFP correspondent, the armed intruder spoke with certain members of the staff, asking in particular to see a high magistrate who changed jobs and "mafia magistrates".
To a bailiff asking him what he is doing there, the man replied simply "Shut up". The bailiff then gave the alert and the police were informed around 8:20 am. The courthouse had then been evacuated and the neighborhood cordoned off by the police.
In front of several witnesses, the man then turned his weapon against him in front of the large stairs of the court of appeal, close to the entrance to the seating room.
An investigation for "search for the causes of death" is open, said Friday the public prosecutor Eric Maurel, who entrusted the investigation to the departmental directorate of public security in Nîmes.