Toxicology tests showed Ziyed Ben
Belgacem had consumed alcohol,
cannabis and cocaine before
attacking a soldier.'
Belgacem's father insisted his son,
who had spent time in prison for
armed robbery and drug-dealing,was
not a 'terrorist' [Reuters]
The man shot dead at Paris's Orly
airport after attacking a soldier was
under the influence of drugs and
alcohol, the results of an autopsy
showed.
Ziyed Ben Belgacem was shot dead on
Saturday as he tried to seize the
weapon of a female soldier at the
airport while shouting "I am here to
die for Allah".
The 39-year-old had a blood alcohol
level of 0.93 grams per litre, almost
twice the legal driving limit in France,
and had also taken cannabis and
cocaine, AFP news agency reported,
citing judicial sources.
Investigators are still trying to
determine what motivated Saturday's
assault by Belgacem, which led to a
major security scare and the
temporary closure of the capital's
second-busiest airport.
Early investigations indicated that
Belgacem, who had an extensive
criminal record including convictions
for drug dealing and armed robbery,
had been radicalised while in prison.
Ben Belgacem's father insisted his son
was not a "terrorist".
"My son was not a terrorist. He never
prayed, and he drank," the father, who
was in shock and whose first name
was not given, told Europe 1 radio.
Before the attack at the airport,
Belgacem had opened fire on a police
officer at a checkpoint in the northern
Paris suburb of Garges-les-Gonesse
and had later stolen a car.
The attack at Orly comes with France
still on high alert following a wave of
attacks that have claimed more than
230 lives in two years.
Following the coordinated attacks
around Paris in November 2015, the
French government declared a state of
emergency that was extended in
December for the fifth time and will
remain in force until July 2017.
The violence has made security a key
issue in France's two-round
presidential election on April 23 and
May 7.
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