French rapper MHD was on Saturday sentenced to 12 years in prison for the 2018 murder of a young man in Paris who was rammed with a vehicle before being set upon by a mob and stabbed.
Five of his fellow defendants were also jailed over the killing, receiving prison terms of between 10 and 18 years, over what prosecutors said was a fight between rival gangs. Three other men were acquitted.
The pioneer of afro-trap — a mix of hip-hop and African traditions — MHD rose to fame after becoming a viral sensation in 2015.
Photo: AFP
The 29-year-old, whose real name is Mohamed Sylla, was charged with homicide in January 2019 and imprisoned. He was released after a year and a half in custody as investigations continued, and released a new album.
The convicted — who all pleaded not guilty — have 10 days to appeal.
The prosecutor had asked for an 18-year prison sentence for the rapper, acquittals for two of the accused and jail sentences of 13 to 20 years for the others.
On the night of July 5, 2018, 23-year-old Loic K was rammed by a black Mercedes and then beaten up and stabbed by about a dozen people in a gritty part of the capital’s 10th arrondissement.
Although the rapper denied having been at the scene, a local resident filmed the incident from his window, and the Mercedes was quickly identified as belonging to MHD.
Other witnesses identified him by his haircut or a sweatshirt by Puma — for which he was a brand ambassador — according to investigative reports seen by Agence France-Presse.
The vehicle was found abandoned and burned out in a parking lot a day after the killing.
“A judicial truth emerged despite the law of silence,” said Juliette Chapelle, lawyer for the victim’s family.
The performer is best known for Afro Trap Part 3 (Champions League), a song in praise of the Paris Saint-Germain soccer club.
He had made waves abroad, drawing admiration from global stars such as Drake and Madonna.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
TESTING BAN: Satellite photos show a facility in the Chinese city of Mianyang that could aid nuclear weapons design and power generation, a US researcher said China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research center in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organizations said, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that would house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that would hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers would fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at US-based independent research organization CNA Corp. It is a similar layout to the US$3.5 billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in northern California, which in 2022 generated
RSS