Nîmes under tension: a suspicious fire devastates a butcher's shop next to the new police station in the Pissevin district, a hub for drug trafficking. Investigators suspect a malicious act to intimidate law enforcement. The investigation is underway to identify the perpetrators and understand their motivations. A strong message sent to the authorities?
On the night of August 20 to 21, residents of the Pissevin district in Nîmes were awakened by the thick smoke of a fire which broke out in a butcher's shop, right next to the brand new police station which had just been opened. open its doors the day before. A troubling timing that intrigues investigators.
A fire of suspicious origin
According to the first elements of the investigation, the fire was of criminal origin. According to a source close to the matter, the fire was started intentionally via massive spreading of fuel in the butcher's chimney, then under construction.
Despite the rapid intervention of firefighters, the flames destroyed the business. Fortunately, they managed to prevent it from spreading to the neighboring police station. A load-bearing wall held up, preserving the premises of the police.
Suspects already identified
The investigations made it possible to quickly arrest six individuals from Nîmes: three adults aged 20 to 28 and three minors aged 15, 16 and 17. Their criminal records reveal that they are all known to the services for acts related to drugs.
This fire occurs in a neighborhood plagued by drug trafficking, one year to the day after the shooting death of little Fayed, 10 years old, in a shootout between dealers.
A police source
The hypothesis of an act of intimidation
The circumstances and location of the fire point to suspicion of a malicious act aimed at intimidate the policewho is trying to regain a foothold in this lost territory of the Republic:
- A fire that occurs the day after opening from the police station
- In a neighborhood under the influence of traffickers
- One year after the tragic death of a child caught in the crossfire
For the Nîmes security assistant, Richard Schieven, the coincidence is disturbing:
We are asking questions about the concordance between this fire and the opening yesterday of this common post. It's strange, a fire that starts from an unoccupied butcher's shop next to the police station.
Richard Schieven, Nîmes security deputy
Will the police station be able to open?
If the fire is brought under control, the damage and soot could compromise the commissioning of the station. Its official inauguration scheduled for Monday August 26 is likely to be postponed, the time to eliminate any risk linked to smoke and to secure the installations.
The Pissevin district, a powder keg
Classified as a priority district, Pissevin has a number of difficulties. Poverty, unemployment, school failure, but above all influence of drug networkswho impose their law and their violence in contempt of the inhabitants:
- Prosperous and visible deal points
- Regular clashes between rival gangs
- Throwing projectiles at law enforcement
- A feeling of abandonment and resignation among residents
The arson of this butchery appears at this stage as a new warning from traffickers to the police and the state. It confirms the need to sustainably strengthen human and material resources to bring republican order to the neighborhood.
An open investigation, unanswered questions
An investigation is opened for damage by dangerous means in flagrante delicto. She will have to determine the exact role of the arrested suspects and verify the existence of possible accomplices.
Beyond that, it is the capacity of the State to restore his authority facing the traffickers who is questioned. This umpteenth challenge to the police in Pissevin shows the scale of the task to reconquer this neighborhood plagued by drugs and violence. A long-term mission that will require determination and consistency.
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