French police searched the home of Abdelkader Merah, the brother of the man who murdered a rabbi and three children at a Toulouse Jewish school.

Wednesday’s raid was conducted to determine if Abdelkader Merah was connected to the March 19 attack by his younger brother, Mohamed, at the Ozar Hatorah School that killed Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, 30, and his two young sons, as well as the 7-year-old daughter of the school’s principal. The younger Merah, who jumped to his death from a window amid a hail of gunfire, also was wanted for the murders of three French troops.

The French prosecutor’s office filed preliminary murder and terrorism charges against Abdelkader Merah in March and, according to The Associated Press, since then he has been in police custody. He is suspected of involvement in preparing for the murders and the actual killings, the French news agency AFP reported.

Antisemitism Notebook

Your weekly guide through the news and the noise of how rising antisemitism and disputes over how to address it are shaping American Jewish life.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Preliminary charges under French law mean there is strong reason to suspect a crime was committed but allow added time to investigate. The moves suggested that investigators have strong reason to believe that the younger Merah was not acting alone when he planned his attacks.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount