It was 7:25 p.m. when the kidnapping alert device was triggered. Two children aged 3 and 5 were kidnapped by their father in Fourmies (North). On the front line all evening, Mickaël Hiraux, mayor of the town, talks in detail about the few hours which preceded the discovery of the two children safe and sound.
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It all happened in a shopping street in the town center of Fourmies (North). Around 1:10 p.m. on January 20, 2025, Nassim, 3 years old, and Mohamed, 5 years old, were kidnapped by their father who allegedly threatened the mother with a knife.
The man, a 38-year-old Franco-Algerian, then fled with the children in a light gray Audi A3. The kidnapping alert system was triggered around 7:25 p.m. The children were found safe and sound later in the evening, and the father was arrested.
Mickaël Hiraux, mayor of Fourmies, agreed to discuss this evening in detail.
What happened on the evening of January 20, 2025?
Mickaël Hiraux : “I was warned a little before 3 p.m. by the regional prefect that there had been a kidnapping of two children aged 3 and 5, in the middle of the town of Fourmies. I just knew that the father was Franco-Algerian .That's all I knew. I was warned that the kidnapping alert would be triggered in the coming hours.
-Then, I was always kept informed by the regional prefect, the sub-prefect and the prosecutor of the events without disseminating much information on the investigation. Which could jeopardize the investigation, but also put the children’s lives at risk.”
Did you know this family?
Mickaël Hiraux : “No. What I deduced was that this lady had already suffered domestic violence, since I had been told that she was not from the region, but rather from Valenciennes. It was followed here by the organizations that we set up just a year ago: Aubépine (reception structure for victims of violence, Editor’s note).
She was followed for domestic violence, she was rehoused in our accommodation provided for this purpose. Generally, ladies who suffer violence in Fourmies are prevented from staying in Fourmies, and those who come from a little further away stay in Fourmies.“
How did you react?
Mickaël Hiraux : “I was very surprised, you never expect that in your town. I was a little less surprised when I learned that she was not from the territory, I said to myself that this is something that we are likely to have more regularly since we welcome women victims of violence.
We know that the companions, or ex-companions, seek to find them, either to beat them, or to get them back, or to get the children back. I tell myself that what we are doing is good to save these women, but on the other hand, we will have to be very careful.“
In the future, the councilor hopes to be able to put in place means to improve the protection of victims, in conjunction with state services. But when he heard that the children had been found, “I was relieved“, he concludes.
Comments collected by Laurie Colinet and Bertrand Théry for France 3 Hauts-de-France
