Killing of Afghan refugee prompts police reinforcements in French town

Candles and flowers are laid in front of a building following the murder of a young 27-year-old Afghan man on August 14, shot dead after protesting against urban dirt-bike riding on the sidewalk, in Colmar, northeastern France on Wednesday. (AFP)

• Quayyem Abdul Ahmadzai shot dead after fight broke out with local youths over noise complaint
• 60 officers sent to Colmar as govt clamps down on illegal motorcycle activity

LONDON: The death of an Afghan refugee in the eastern French province of Alsace has prompted police to send reinforcements to the area, The Times reported on Wednesday.
Quayyem Abdul Ahmadzai, 27, was allegedly shot in the chest after a fight broke out in the town of Colmar.
He and two other Afghans were having a picnic when the scuffle began, after he told a teenager nearby to make less noise with his motor scooter.
Witnesses said the teenager had been revving the engine of the scooter while standing on the pavement.
After insulting the three Afghans, he left, only to return with a group of friends, at which point the fight broke out and Ahmadzai was shot, said Catherine Sorita-Minard, the state prosecutor.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced in the aftermath of the killing that 60 police officers would be seconded to the town’s standing force of around 150 officers, to “reinforce security” and “reassure the inhabitants” of Colmar. Two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, are being sought by police in connection with the shooting.
Ahmadzai, who fled to France in 2017 and was granted refugee status, lived in the neighboring town of Mulhouse and worked for the car manufacturer Peugeot.
Another Afghan living in Colmar told The Times that Ahmadzai had been forced to leave his wife and children behind in Afghanistan when he fled, and that he “was all on his own here.”
His death has gained broad coverage across France as it came in the wake of a government crackdown on antisocial behavior by youths using motorcycles, which came to a head after four children were severely injured, and a 10-year-old girl in Paris left with severe neurological damage, after a number of accidents due to illegal races and stunts.
Darmanin said so far, 338 arrests had been made in relation to the crackdown nationwide, with 203 people remanded in custody, 157 motorcycles confiscated and 5,712 fines issued.