Le Figaro Lyon
Accusations broadcast on X which snowball to threaten the safety of a young man in real life.
A Villeurbanne resident in his twenties filed a complaint after being wrongly presented as an Israeli army soldier responsible for torture in Gaza, according to information from Le
Progrès
, confirmed to Le
Figaro
by several sources close to the matter .
He suffered threats of revenge when his address was revealed on social media.
According to our information, a threatening individual was even arrested near his home.
An investigation was opened, the Lyon prosecutor's office confirms to Le
Figaro
, while the young man was placed under police protection, according to the entourage of the Rhône prefect.
It all started with a video broadcast on X showing violence committed by an Israeli soldier against Palestinian prisoners during the raid against the al-Chifa hospital.
On March 20, an independent journalist covering the conflict, Younis Tirawi, believed he identified Samuel O. as the author of the violence.
He claims to have contacted the young Villeurbanne resident and publishes screenshots and audio of conversations in which the latter seems to advocate torture.
Posts since deleted
Accusations quickly relayed by the honorary president of the France Palestine Solidarité association, who has since deleted its publication, but also by LFI deputy Thomas Portes.
The latter even announced that he would contact the Paris public prosecutor
“so that an investigation could be opened for participation in war crimes and acts of torture”
.
He also deleted his publication
“in order to allow the possibility that an investigation can be carried out with complete peace of mind”
.
The Rhône prefecture assures that Samuel O. is not the individual present in the videos, as journalist Younis Tirawi has since clarified, without however deleting his messages.
Only his uncle is said to have fought in the Israeli army.
Licra, for its part, evokes
“a serious case of disinformation”
and indicates that it has reported
“hateful content”
to the Pharos platform.
As for Thomas Portes, he is the subject of a report to the Paris public prosecutor by several Renaissance deputies for provoking hatred.