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French soldier shot pirate hostage, prosecutors confirm
May 5, 2010, 16:49 GMT
Paris - The long-held suspicion that a French elite soldier had shot and killed a hostage during a violent rescue off the Somali coast one year ago was confirmed by French prosecutors on Wednesday.
'The deadly shot came from the military,' they said in Rennes.
The widow of the French sailor, Chloe Lemacon, is releasing a book that asks for the incident to be publicly recognized. Until now, there had been no official admission of the soldier's involvement.
The couple had been travelling across the Indian Ocean in a sailing boot with their 3-year-old son and two friends when they were captured by Somali pirates.
During the rescue of the seized yacht, its 28-year-old skipper and two pirates were killed. The four other hostages escaped unharmed.
The autopsy report had already pointed to a tragic accident. The French Army later arranged a meeting between the widow and the shooter, but refused to release his name.
Florent Lemacon had moved to stand protectively in front of his wife and child during the bid to free the boat, even though soldiers had instructed the hostages and pirates to stay still.
The movement likely triggered the 'shooting reflex' of the soldier, investigators said.
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