Investigators tracked them down after discovering two slices of watermelon left by the perpetrators at the base of the olive tree, which contained their DNA.

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The Algemeiner

Two Tunisian twin brothers have been arrested in France after allegedly cutting down an olive tree that had been planted to honor Ilan Halimi, a young French Jewish man tortured to death nearly a decade ago.

According to the Bobigny prosecutor’s office, two 19-year-old undocumented men with prior convictions for theft and violence were arrested for vandalizing Halimi’s memorial in the northern Paris suburb of Épinay-sur-Seine.

Both brothers appeared in criminal court on Wednesday and were remanded in custody pending their trial, scheduled for Oct. 22.

They will face trial on charges of “aggravated destruction of property” and “desecration of a monument dedicated to the memory of the dead on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion,” offenses that, according to prosecutors, carry a sentence of up to two years in prison.

Both suspects were taken into custody around noon on Monday while returning to the crime scene, French media reported.

Investigators tracked them down after discovering two slices of watermelon left by the perpetrators at the base of the olive tree, which contained their DNA.

Halimi was abducted, held captive, and tortured in January 2006 by a gang of about 20 people in a low-income housing estate in the Paris suburb of Bagneux.

Three weeks later, Halimi was found in Essonne, south of Paris, naked, gagged, and handcuffed, with clear signs of torture and burns. The 23-year-old died on the way to the hospital.

In 2011, an olive tree was planted in Halimi’s memory. Earlier this month, the memorial was found felled — probably with a chainsaw — in the northern Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine.

Halimi’s memory has faced attacks before, with two other trees planted in his honor vandalized in 2019 in Essonne, where he was found dying near a railway track.

Hervé Chevreau, the mayor of Épinay, announced that a new memorial tree will be planted in the second half of September.

After the attack, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the incident, vowing that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

“Felling the tree in honor of Ilan Halimi is a second attempt on his life,” the French leader said in a post on X.

Halimi’s sister, Anne-Laure Abitbol, also condemned the incident, warning that public denunciations are no longer enough and calling for concrete action.

“In France, we are no longer safe, neither alive nor dead,” Abitbol told RTL in an interview.

“I feel less safe in France,” she said. “By recognizing a Palestinian state, Macron is encouraging antisemitism and failing to take action against antisemitic attacks in the country.”

Last month, Macron announced that France will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September as part of its “commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”

Israeli officials have criticized the move, which was followed by several other Western countries, calling it a “reward for terrorism.”

France’s Jewish community has faced a troubling surge in antisemitic incidents and anti-Israel sentiment since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Jewish leaders have consistently called on authorities to take swift action against the rising wave of targeted attacks and anti-Jewish hate crimes they continue to face.

According to the French Interior Ministry, 646 antisemitic incidents were recorded from January to June this year — a drop from the previous year’s first-half record high but a 112.5 percent increase compared with the same period in 2023, when 304 incidents were reported.

The post Tunisian brothers to face trial for cutting down olive tree honoring murdered Jew in France appeared first on World Israel News.

Halimi’s memory has faced attacks before, with two other trees planted in his honor vandalized in 2019 in Essonne, where he was found dying near a railway track.

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The Algemeiner

An olive tree planted in memory of a young French Jewish man tortured to death in 2006 was vandalized and cut down this week, sparking outrage in France amid a troubling surge in antisemitic attacks.

In January 2006, Ilan Halimi was abducted, held captive, and tortured by a gang of about 20 people in a low-income housing estate in the Paris suburb of Bagneux.

Three weeks later, Halimi was found in Essonne, south of Paris, naked, gagged, and handcuffed, with clear signs of torture and burns. The 23-year-old died on the way to the hospital.

In 2011, an olive tree was planted in Halimi’s memory. On Friday, this memorial was found felled — probably with a chainsaw — in the northern Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine.

Halimi’s memory has faced attacks before, with two other trees planted in his honor vandalized in 2019 in Essonne, where he was found dying near a railway track.

French officials have pledged to plant a new tree following the latest attack, which has drawn condemnation from the country’s local Jewish community amid a troubling rise in antisemitic acts.

French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the incident, vowing that the perpetrators will be brought to justice while affirming that France’s fight against antisemitism will remain “uncompromising.”

“Felling the tree in honor of Ilan Halimi is a second attempt on his life. This will not happen: the nation will not forget this son of France who died for being Jewish,” the French leader said in a post on X.

Authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the incident, with Paris police confirming that inquiries are underway.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou denounced the incident, calling the tree “a living bulwark against oblivion.”

“The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our primary duty,” Bayrou said in a post on X.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau also condemned the antisemitic attack, saying that “this act can only provoke disgust and anger.”

France’s Jewish community has faced a troubling surge in antisemitic incidents and anti-Israel sentiment since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct.7, 2023.

Jewish leaders have consistently called on authorities to take swift action against the rising wave of targeted attacks and anti-Jewish hate crimes they continue to face.

Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), denounced this latest incident, declaring that “today’s antisemites are no better than those of yesterday.”

“This is not just another antisemitic act. It is a way for antisemites to shout their hatred toward Jews, saying: ‘We are here more than ever!’” Arfi said in a post on X.

Israel’s ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, condemned the attack, calling it a “shameful desecration” and denouncing those responsible.

“It’s clear that condemnations will pour in and outrage will be widespread, but who will truly reflect on the forces that led to this new act of barbarity?” Zarka said in a post on X.

“Antisemitism is a sign of a sick society, and in Europe today it has surged to levels reminiscent of nearly a century ago,” he continued. “May our departed rest in peace, and may those wounded by this brutality find healing.”

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Echoing powerful feelings of rebirth and renewal, IDF soldiers planted an olive sapling in the soil of the former Jewish community of Gush Katif in Gaza—symbolically reclaiming ground once lost and reaffirming a deep-rooted connection to the land.

The post WATCH: IDF soldiers plant olives trees in former Jewish community in Gaza appeared first on World Israel News.