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Police suspect homophobia in murders of four men found floating in river
Police in France arrested a homeless 24-year-old suspect last Sunday in the homophobic slayings of four men killed over 16 days. The mens bodies were found floating in the River Seine.Prosecutors say the murders happened at a riverside area near the southern Parisian suburb of Choisy-le-Roi, known as a place of ephemeral homosexual encounters, The Times reported. Police suspected that all four men were murdered before being thrown into the river: two were strangled to death; detectives are still exploring the causes of death for the two other victims. Witnesses saw one of the bodies floating in the river on August 13, leading police to investigate. Related A new push for DNA samples could identify more victims of a notorious closeted Republican killer The victims include a 48-year-old Frenchman, a 21-year-old Algerian, a 26-year-old Tunisian man, and a 21-year-old Arab man. All of the men had been reported missing between late July and early August. Two were considered homeless, and two were partially naked when recovered from the river. All of the mens bodies were in advanced stages of decomposition.Detectives say the suspected killer had one of the mens DNA on his pants and used phone cards and a debit card belonging to the various victims. The suspect, identified in the press only as Monji H., is Tunisian and came to France three years ago and reportedly denied involvement but refused to answer police when confronted with evidence, Le Monde reported. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The aforementioned publication noted that police believed the suspect may have killed the men because he felt ashamed about the conflict between his own sexuality and his Muslim faith, and the Parisian notes that he practiced a particularly involved form of Islam similar to Salafism. Investigators say that two of the victims may have briefly lived with the suspect, though its not entirely clear if the suspect had sex with any of his victims.We cannot ignore the homophobic dimension which is already evident in this case, said Terrence Khatchadourian, general secretary of the group Stop Homophobie. The groups lawyer, tienne Deshoulires, added, This is not an ordinary crime but the manifestation of systemic violence targeting gay men.The French interior minister said that hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people have increased 11% since 2022.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.
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