France's conservative interior minister is seriously considering a more strict rules to "protect the French" after a Moroccan man suspected of raping and murdering a 19-year-old student then leaving her body in a Paris park was arrested in Switzerland. The student is known only by her first name, Philippine.
Reports from AFP alleged that the attacker was a 22-year-old Moroccan man. Prosecutors also revealed thatthe suspect had been previously convicted of rape and been the subject of an expulsion order.
The killing of Philippine is expected to further inflame political tensions in France where the right-wing government that took office this week as they plan to crack down on immigration.
New interior minister Bruno Retailleau said "this is an abominable crime" and authorities need to "develop our legal arsenal to protect the French".
"If we have to change the rules, let's change them," added the minister, who has vowed to boost law and order, tighten immigration legislation and make it easier to deport foreigners convicted of crimes.
The student's body was found in the Bois de Boulogne park in western Paris, not far from the Universite Paris-Dauphine she attended.
According to prosecutors, the man was convicted in 2021 of a rape committed in 2019, when he was a minor.
He had been released in June having served his sentence, then placed in an administrative detention centre.
In early September, a judge freed him on condition he reported regularly to the authorities.
The judge's decision was motivated by the fact that the man neither sought asylum nor opposed the extradition order, according to a copy of the ruling consulted by AFP.