The father of the man shot dead at Orly airport in Paris on Saturday,18th March 2017 after attacking a French solider has insisted his son was “not a terrorist.”
Ziyed Ben Belgacem held a gun on a female soldier while shouting: “I am here to die in the name of Allah … There will be deaths,” before two of the soldier’s comrades shot the attacker dead, a prosecutor told reporters.
But speaking to France’s Europe 1 radio Sunday, the father of Belgacem denied his son was a terrorist and instead blamed his actions on drugs and alcohol.
“My son was not a terrorist. He never prayed and he drank,” the father, who is not being named by French authorities, said.
“This is what happens under the influence of drink and cannabis.”
Belgacem was also accused of shooting a police officer earlier in the day when he stole the officer’s weapon. That officer has non-life-threatening wounds, officials said.
According to Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins, the suspect had been imprisoned several times on violence and theft convictions, including one five-year stint that began in 2009.
French terrorism investigators will lead the inquiry into the attacks, Molins said.
The father, who was released by police Sunday after being taken into custody, described how his son had called him after the shooting.
He described his son as being “very angry” and that he asked for forgiveness.
“He said to me: ‘Daddy, please forgive me. I’ve screwed up with a police officer,'” the father said.
“I said I didn’t forgive him ‘because you hurt a policeman.”
While the father has been released by authorities, Belgacem’s brother and a cousin are still being questioned.
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