two accused will be questioned, follow the 3rd day of the trial

The Doubs Assize Court is trying three men until December 20, 2024, including one absent, still on the run. These men are accused of having murdered “by mistake” Houcine Hakkar, on March 8, 2020, in Besançon (Doubs), shot dead while driving his car. Our journalist Antoine Comte is present at the hearing this Wednesday, December 18.

To follow the chronological order of the hearing, we advise you to scroll down to the bottom of the page.

► Relive the first day of the trial in this article.

► Highlights of second day of the trial in this article.

The third day of the trial of the alleged assassins of Houcine Hakkar is scheduled to begin at 9:15 a.m.

This is a crucial day which could plunge us into the very world of drug trafficking clans. Indeed, one of the leaders of the “de la Tour” clan, Omar Abdou, will be heard by the court by videoconference from his prison, as will Samy Khaldi, who belongs to the opposite clan, the Picardie clan, and who refused to come to the Assize Court on December 17.

In addition to these two statements, other members of the Picardie clan, all incarcerated, will testify. Their names have already come up in several exhibits in this case. Finally, one of the most anticipated moments will arrive with the interrogations of the two accused present. As a reminder, if Melk Ghezali admitted his participation in the assassination of Houcine Hakkar, Elias Basbas continues to deny it.

What happened on the 2nd day of the trial?

Tuesday December 17, 2024 took place the second day of this assize trial. The morning began with the testimony of several experts: the forensic doctor who carried out the autopsy of Houcine Hakkar and the medical examination of his friend Rabah Khaldi, an expert responsible for the study of different sound files and an expert in ballistic.

The rest of the day saw a very heavy atmosphere set in in the courtroom. While technical problems marred the proceedings, the court heard the testimonies of several witnesses: an important element, one of them believed to have seen Rabah Khaldi leave Houcine Hakkar’s car with a weapon, which Rabah Khaldi , also questioned this Tuesday, will deny it outright. The one who was with the victim at the time of the murder, in his speech, retraced the events of March 8, 2020 and his relationship with Houcine, before mentioning threats that were sent to him so that he would withdraw his complaint .

Symbol of this “law of silence” which seems to reign among the Besançon drug traffickers, the partner of one of the accused, Melk Ghezali, was also heard and was able to report the pressures she has been under for many weeks. The defense lawyers also pointed out the numerous threats and intimidation that their client allegedly received.

As if to confirm all these statements, a man, the little brother of Mohamed Mordjane (the third accused still on the run), who was present in the public, was excluded from the room after he was accused of having made a throat-cutting sign towards the accused. The day ended in confusion with the emotion-filled testimony of Zora Hakkar, Houcine Hakkar’s mother. Just afterwards, the hearing was once again suspended after arguments in the public and among the civil parties, showing dissension within the Hakkar family itself.

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(Re)read the complete progress of the second day of the trial.

What happened on the first day of the trial?

Monday December 16 began at the Doubs Assize Court, in Besançon, the trial of the alleged assassins of Houcine Hakkar. Elias Basbas, Melk Ghezali and Mohamed Mordjane (on the run), members of a group of drug traffickers, the Picardie clan, are accused of having mistakenly killed this 22-year-old mechanic after a chase. They would have had the wrong target.

At the opening of the first day of the trial, Melk Ghezali admitted the facts with which he is accused, while Elias Basbas denied outright. The court then heard a first witness, Patrick Melon, director of the investigation launched into this case, who for several hours detailed his investigations and answered questions from the president of the Assize Court and the lawyers.

Audio and video recordings were played during the trial, including Rabah Khaldi’s poignant distress call to law enforcement. Mr. Khaldi, a passenger in Houcine Hakkar’s car at the time of the incident, was with the victim at the time of his death. He survived despite suffering gunshot wounds. At the end of the day, Houcine Hakkar’s two sisters, Abir and Wabissa, both civil parties, were heard by the court and gave poignant testimony.

► (Re)read the complete progress of the first day of the trial.

Who are the accused tried by the Assize Court?

• Mohamed Mordjane : head of the network of drug traffickers, known as the “Picardie” clan, he is still on the run.
• Milk Ghezali : On the evening of the tragedy, he was driving the car that chased Houcine Hakkar’s car. Melk Ghezali was arrested in Spain in May 2021, then extradited to France.
• Elias Basbas : he is the alleged shooter who coldly fired several bullets at Houcine Hakkar and also attempted to assassinate his passenger
  They are indicted for murder, attempted murder and complicity in attempted murder.

“Damn sir, we are going to die”: we summarize this tragic affair for you

In the spring of 2020, the drug traffickers’ war raged in Besançon. Two clans are competing for deal points in the Planoise district, the “de la tour” clan and the “Picardie” clan. As the weeks go by, clashes between rivals multiply. 10 injured. Until that evening, that of carefully planned revenge. The traffickers carry out the operation by trading on an encrypted network.

A week before confinement, on March 8, 2020 around 9 p.m., thinking they had spotted their target, two men chased a blue Mégane car on Avenue Siffert. The passenger fired multiple shots. The occupants of the Megane had time to alert the police. The recordings are chilling: “We’re being shot at!”, “We’re in a car, sir, hurry up, they’re behind us, it’s a red Mégane 5”, “Fuck, sir, we’re going to die, damn it, we’re we’re going to die, we’re going to die, sir.”

A few moments later, Houcine Hakkar’s car crashed into a traffic light. The pursuers complete their sinister mission. Houcine Hakkar, who was testing a friend’s car that evening, was killed by several bullets, including one to the head. The young mechanic’s vehicle is riddled with 28 bullet holes. His passenger miraculously escaped.

In the evening on the encrypted network, the traffickers will realize that they have killed the wrong person. An innocent man.

Already heavily condemned by the courts, the three men tried during this trial before the Doubs assizes face a sentence of life imprisonment.