A second brother of a young French anti-drugs campaigner, Amine Kessaci, has been shot dead in Marseille in a suspected criminal gang killing.
An elder brother was murdered in 2020. Brahim Kessaci was found dead in a burned-out car, a method linked to gang executions known locally as a barbecue.
Amine, who was a high school student at the time, subsequently founded an organization called Conscience, focused on helping young people in Marseille’s impoverished districts escape the influence of drug gangs.
On Thursday, Amine learned that his second brother, 20-year-old Mehdi, had also been killed in the city.
Mehdi was attacked while parking his car as a motorcycle approached and a passenger opened fire with a 9mm weapon.
While Brahim had ties to drug gangs, investigators note that Mehdi was not involved in any criminal activities and aspired to become a policeman. Authorities suspect that this murder might serve as a warning aimed at Amine.
“That hypothesis is absolutely not being ruled out,” remarked Marseille chief prosecutor Nicolas Bessone.
Notable political figures, including city councillor Christine Juste, expressed condolences, highlighting the tragic loss for the Kessaci family and condemning the rampant violence in France's second-largest city.
Marseille has been struggling with escalating drug-related violence, with 14 murders attributed to drugs already reported this year. Amine Kessaci's organization, which aids families affected by drug violence, has branches across multiple cities and works towards creating job links for ex-delinquents.
His efforts to influence change were recognized when he met President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to Marseille in 2021.
In his book titled 'Marseille Wipe Your Tears – Life and Death in a Land of Drugs', Amine wrote poignantly about his motivations, stating, Politics never held out its hand to me, so I decided to grab it by the throat. Brahim – it was you who threw me into politics the day you burned in a car.
