PARIS - French authorities have no evidence that Al-Qaeda commissioned a French gunman to go on a killing spree that left seven people dead, or that he had any contact with terrorist groups, a senior French official said Friday. The official, who is close to the investigation into the attacks by 23-year-old Mohamed Merah, said there is no sign he had “trained or been in contact with organized groups or jihadists.” Merah was killed in a gunfight with police Thursday after a 32-hour standoff with police. Prosecutors said he filmed himself carrying out three attacks since March 11, killing three Jewish schoolchildren.
, a rabbi and three French paratroopers with close-range shots to the head.
He had traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and prosecutors said he had claimed contacts with Al-Qaeda and to have trained in the Pakistan militant stronghold of Waziristan. He had been on a U.S. no-fly list since 2010. The official said Merah might have made the claim because Al-Qaeda is a well-known “brand.” The official said authorities have “absolutely no element allowing us to believe that he was commissioned by Al-Qaeda to carry out these attacks.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation. A little-known jihadist group claimed responsibility for the killings, but the official said the claim appeared opportunistic and that authorities think Merah had never heard of the group.