Four new arrests in the investigation into the death of Mehdi Kessaci

The investigation into the murder of Mehdi Kessaci, shot dead in Marseille on November 13, 2025, has taken a new turn with the arrest of four new suspects on Tuesday. According to a source close to the case, confirming information from the Le ParisienThese arrests come in addition to the six charges brought at the end of March against five men and one woman. The victim, aged 20, was unknown to the police and had no connection whatsoever to drug trafficking.

The investigation conducted by the judicial police, with support from the Central Office for Combating Organized Crime (OCLCO), has clarified the alleged roles of these new suspects. Three of them are suspected of having participated in the logistical preparation of the operation or in the acts committed after the murder. The fourth is believed to have been recruited as a gunman for a previous operation planned the day before the murder, which was ultimately abandoned. He is described as an enforcer linked to the DZ Mafia.

A targeting error at the heart of the case

Investigators now believe that Mehdi Kessaci was not the intended target of the shooting. According to their findings, the perpetrators were actually targeting his brother, Amine Kessaci, an activist actively fighting drug trafficking in Marseille. Having become the fourth deputy mayor of Marseille under Benoît Payan following the municipal elections in March, he has established himself in recent years as a leading figure in the fight against criminal networks in the city.

The judicial investigation is being conducted by Parisian investigating judges under the supervision of the National Prosecutor's Office for the Fight Against Organized Crime (PNACO). Authorities attribute this murder to the DZ Mafia, one of Marseille's main criminal groups involved in drug trafficking. According to official figures, drug-related crime claimed 17 lives in Marseille in 2025, a decrease from the 24 victims recorded in 2024 and the 49 deaths recorded in 2023, a year marked by a violent war between rival organizations for control of drug dealing hotspots.