Five murders in northern France: Suspect indicted for “assassinations” and “murders”

Suspect placed in custody
The main suspect, who confessed to being the perpetrator of the five murders committed on Saturday, December 14, in Loon-Plage and Wormhout, was indicted on Tuesday, December 17, announced Charlotte Huet, the Dunkirk Public Prosecutor, during a press conference. He has been placed in provisional detention for one year and is charged with “assassinations” and “murders following another crime,” according to a statement released afterward.

Charges filed
The charge of “assassinations” applies to the murders of the suspect’s former employer and two security guards. The killings of the two Iranian migrants have been classified as “murders following another crime.”

Charlotte Huet also revealed that the main weapon used in the homicides was a .44 caliber rifle. A shotgun was also employed. Investigators found five weapons in the suspect’s vehicle and twelve additional firearms at his residence during a search.

The alleged perpetrator, Paul D., 22, voluntarily surrendered to the Ghyvelde gendarmerie just hours after the crimes, which occurred within a two-hour timeframe. He was arrested and taken into police custody.

Ongoing investigation
The investigation, under the direction of the Dunkirk Public Prosecutor’s Office, is being conducted as part of a flagrante delicto procedure. It has been assigned to the Division for Organized and Specialized Crime (DCOS) of the Interdepartmental Police Service for the North (SIPJ 59). Authorities are continuing their efforts to establish the precise circumstances of the crimes and profile the suspect.