Former Corsican separatist leader Alain Orsoni shot dead at his mother’s funeral

BBC
BBC
9h ago
Former Corsican separatist leader Alain Orsoni was shot dead at his mother’s funeral in the village of Vero, and organised crime prosecutors in Corsica are investigating the killing.
Former Corsican separatist leader Alain Orsoni shot dead at his mother’s funeral
A What happened
Alain Orsoni, 71, was shot dead while attending his mother’s funeral in a cemetery in the village of Vero on Monday afternoon. Corsican prosecutor Nicolas Septe said Orsoni was hit in the chest by a single long-range shot and died quickly. The investigation is being handled by a newly created national anti-organised crime prosecutor alongside the Marseille-based specialised regional crime office. A police source told Le Monde there were similarities with recent gangland killings targeting people linked to Orsoni’s son, Guy Orsoni.
★

Key insights

  • 1

    Investigators are examining possible links to prior gangland-style shootings: A police source told Le Monde there were similarities between the killing of Alain Orsoni and recent shootings of people linked to his son, Guy Orsoni, including two associates killed in 2023 by a gunman firing from some distance away.

  • 2

    Orsoni had previously acknowledged threats to his life: Orsoni told Le Figaro in 2012 that he bought an armoured car under pressure from his family after he was targeted in 2008, and said he lived a normal life without a squad of bodyguards.

Takeaways

Alain Orsoni was killed by a single long-range shot at his mother’s funeral in Vero, and French anti-organised crime authorities are investigating with no motive announced.

Topics

Investigations Law & Public Safety Crime & Justice

Read the full article on BBC

Stay ahead with OwlBrief

Daily briefs that distill the world’s important events — clear, verified, and designed for understanding.

Create Free Account Sign In

Newsletter

Get OwlBrief in your inbox

A fast, high-signal digest of the day’s most important events — plus the context that makes them make sense.

Quick to read. Useful all day.