Lawyer: Islamic group not linked to gunman

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Published: March. 31, 2012 at 6:50 PM

PARIS, March 31 (UPI) -- The lawyer for the leader of an Islamic group arrested by French authorities said the group has no connection with the Toulouse gunman who killed seven people.

Lawyer Philippe Missamou, who represents Forsane Alizza leader Mohammed Achamlane, one of 19 people arrested Friday for alleged links to radical Islam, said Saturday Achamlane denied the group had anything to do with Mohammed Merah's killings, CNN reported.

Merah killed a rabbi, the cleric's two children and another schoolgirl outside a Jewish school last week and three paratroopers of north African descent the week before.

Merah allegedly admitted to the shootings during a two-day standoff with police at his apartment in Toulouse before he was killed in an exchange of gunfire.

CNN said French media reports have suggested Merah had links to Forsane Alizza, which has followers in Toulouse.

France's Interior Ministry said "19 arrests were made in connection with the group Forsane Alizza" Friday in Toulouse, Marseille, Nantes, Lyon and the Ile de France region, around Paris.

Interior Minister Claude Gueant said five rifles, four automatic weapons, three Kalashnikov rifles and a bulletproof vest were found in searches of the suspects' homes.

Missamou said Achamlane said Forsane Alizza did not support armed combat. The lawyer said the group was not dangerous but worked to battle injustice against Muslims in France.

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Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyers to Open Demas Law Group - PR Web (press release)

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Sacramento, California (PRWEB) March 30, 2012

A team of Sacramento injury attorneys embarks on a new course by forming the Demas Law Group. The firm began operation under this name in March of 2012. The firm's primary mission is to serve the Sacramento community in a wide array of personal injury matters. The firm is comprised of Sacramento personal injury attorneys who have decades of collective experience helping injured clients in California.

The Demas Law Group will be led by John N. Demas. Mr. Demas has successfully handled personal injury cases in the Sacramento area for twenty years, including wrongful death, catastrophic injury and defective products claims. He has represented victims of automobile, trucking, and construction accidents. Mr. Demas has earned a reputation with attorneys, clients, and insurance companies alike as a vigilant advocate for injured victims. His skill and expertise have led to some of the largest verdicts in Sacramento County history. He has been selected by his peers as a Northern California Super Lawyer for 2009, 2010, and 2011, an exclusive honor limited to less than 5% of all attorneys, and approximately 1% of plaintiff personal injury attorneys. He was recently recognized as the Trial Lawyer/Advocate of the Year by the Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association, in recognition for his extraordinary trial results and intrepid work in advocating the rights of consumers. In addition, Mr. Demas has been granted membership to The American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and has a 10/10 rating, the highest possible rating, with the prominent attorney ranking web site, Avvo.com. He is also a member of The Justice Roundtable, an organization consisting of 100 of the nation’s top personal injury attorneys.

The Demas Law Group is committed to achieving the best possible results for its clients. Its primary objective is to serve the members of the community through open communication, compassion, and strong ethical values. The personal injury attorneys at Demas Law Group offer specialized legal skills, experience and diligence and devote all their resources to providing exceptional legal representation and personal service. Their track record of success includes numerous seven-figure settlements and verdicts, and has earned them accolades from their peers and community.

The Demas Law Group has received an "AV" rating, the highest possible national rating from Martindale-Hubbell. In addition, the firm has been given the highest marks for "adherence to professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability and diligence."

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Lawyer: French Islamist group had no link with Toulouse gunman - CNN

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Mohammed Merah killed seven people in a series of attacks.NEW: Lawyer: The Forsane Alizza group wants to protect the rights of Muslims in FranceThe Islamist group's leader says it had no contact with gunman Merah, his lawyer says19 suspected members of the Forsane Alizza group were arrested Friday, authorities saidPolice have been investigating whether Merah, blamed for 7 deaths, acted alone

Paris (CNN) -- The leader of an Islamist group whose members were targeted in a series of French police raids denies any contact with Toulouse gunman Mohammed Merah, lawyer Philippe Missamou said Saturday.

The leader of the Forsane Alizza group, Mohammed Achamlane, was among 19 people arrested Friday over alleged connections to radical Islam, Missamou said.

The raids came a week after Merah, who killed seven people in a series of attacks, was shot dead after a long siege in the southwestern city of Toulouse.

French media reports suggested Merah had developed connections with the pro-al Qaeda group, which has a cluster of followers in Toulouse.

Forsane Alizza was outlawed in January for encouraging French citizens to travel to Afghanistan to fight jihad.

Missamou told CNN he had last spoken to Achamlane on Monday.

At this time, Achamlane told him that the group had not had contact with Merah, and that it had nothing to do with Merah's killings in Toulouse, Missamou said.

Achamlane said the group did not support armed combat, the attorney said.

Missamou expects to be allowed to meet with members of the group, which he has represented since January, on Monday or Tuesday.

After that they will be put before a judge and either placed under further examination with charges pending, or released, he said.

Missamou disputed the Interior Ministry's claim that all 19 people arrested are members of Forsane Alizza, saying several were not.

Friday's arrests took place in Toulouse, Marseille, Nantes, Lyon and the Ile de France region, around Paris, the Interior Ministry said.

The ministry's media office said "the police had plans to carry out 19 arrests, and therefore 19 arrests were made in connection with the group Forsane Alizza."

Interior Minister Claude Gueant said that several firearms, including five rifles, four automatic weapons and three Kalashnikovs, had been found in searches of the suspects' homes, as well as a bulletproof vest.

Missamou said he had no information on the claims that firearms were found.

He also said he did not know know whether members of the group have spent time in Pakistan or Afghanistan.

The lawyer disputes the characterization of the group as dangerous, saying it works to contest perceived injustice on the part of the French state.

Its members claim that France does not recognize the multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-religious nature of the country, and passes laws which target Muslims in France, he said.

Police have been investigating whether Merah acted alone in planning his attacks.

He is blamed for the killings of three French paratroopers, a rabbi and three Jewish children ages 4, 5 and 7. Two other people were seriously wounded in the shootings.

Merah told police he had attended an al Qaeda training camp while visiting Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to Paris prosecutor Francois Molins.

But his uncle, Jamal Azizi, denied statements by French authorities that Merah was an al Qaeda sympathizer and that he had traveled to Afghanistan or Pakistan to train to use arms.

Merah was buried Thursday at a cemetery outside Toulouse.

CNN's Anna Prichard contributed to this report.

updated 9:12 AM EDT, Fri March 23, 2012 Did French intelligence services miss vital clues as Mohammed Merah showed signs of growing radicalization? updated 12:11 PM EDT, Thu March 22, 2012 The Toulouse shootings refocus fears on trained attackers who are determined, living legally in the West and operating alone.updated 7:38 AM EDT, Thu March 22, 2012 'Lone wolves' who plot to carry out small-scale attacks on soft targets could be the future of terrorism, a security expert warns.updated 10:32 AM EDT, Fri March 23, 2012 Mohammed Merah, described as a self-styled al Qaeda jihadist, was named as the chief suspect in a series of deadly shootings.updated 12:08 PM EDT, Thu March 22, 2012 CNN examines whether the handling of the crisis will have a bearing on the presidential poll.updated 6:30 PM EDT, Tue March 20, 2012 In the pink-hued streets of Toulouse, France's "Ville Rose," flags are flying at half-mast: The city is in mourning -- and shock. updated 12:08 AM EDT, Tue March 20, 2012 The city of Toulouse is at the highest security alert level, after a teacher and three children were gunned down at a Jewish school.updated 7:51 PM EDT, Mon March 19, 2012 Agnes Poirier, a political commentator, talks about the disbelief in France after the deadly drive-by shooting at a school in Toulouse.updated 6:06 AM EDT, Thu March 22, 2012 Out of nowhere a gunman appeared in the courtyard of a Jewish school in the French city just as students were arriving for morning classes.Most popular stories right now

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Lawyers group launches website for legal questions - Boston.com

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Lawyers group launches website for legal questions - Boston.com HOME/COLLECTIONSLawyers group launches website for legal questionsMarch 18, 2012ShareE-mailPrint

The Massachusetts Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service has started a new website to provide basic answers to common legal questions and connect people who need legal help to an attorney.

The website, www.MassLawHelp.com, provides answers to questions in the areas of family law, labor and unemployment, estate planning, real estate, consumer protection, personal injury, criminal law, personal finance, business, government benefits and immigration. The site can also help users looking for a lawyer to contact the referral service to find an attorney with appropriate experience.

The referral service, a public service of the Massachusetts Bar Association, has linked more than 500,000 people with attorneys since it was created nearly 40 years ago.

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