PARIS (AP) — The Paris prosecutor opened a terrorism inquiry Friday into the role of an Angolan separatist in a deadly attack on the Togolese soccer team that pulled out of the African Cup of Nations tournament as a result of the Jan. 8 shooting.
The prosecutor’s office is looking into remarks made to various media by Angolan separatist leader Rodriques Mingas who claimed responsibility for the attack in the northern Angolan region of Cabinda.
The driver and two team officials were killed.
Angola had protested to the French authorities about the failure to take legal measures against Mingas, whom the Foreign Ministry says is a French citizen, and restrict his movements.
The inquiry will examine whether the prosecutor can file formal charges against Mingas for inciting “acts of terrorism.”
Mingas is quoted as saying that all blows are permitted in war. “In war, anything can happen, it’s just starting.”
The French Foreign Ministry said at the time that such remarks were unacceptable. Mingas talked to numerous French and foreign media via cell telephone.
In a statement late Friday, the ministry stressed that France would not “tolerate such justifications for violence.”