Two men were taken into custody on Tuesday after surrendering as part of the investigation into the death of Jeremy Cohen – the 31-year-old Jewish man hit by a tram in Bobigny, France, on February 17 after being attacked – according to a report by Europe 1 on Wednesday.
The two men, ages 27 and 23, are being held by the Seine-Saint-Denis Judicial Police. A manslaughter investigation had been opened by the Bobigny Police. Despite suspicions of the antisemitic nature of the crime, according to the public prosecutor, “There is currently no evidence to establish the discriminatory nature of this attack.”
The investigation was opened on March 29 for “intentional violence resulting in death without the intention of causing it.”
Cohen’s family was able to obtain a video showing Jeremy being harassed before running toward the tram that ended up running him over.
“Jeremy’s death is linked to an attack of which he was the victim by a gang of young people immediately before being hit” family members told Radio Shalom in France on April 4.
The radio station’s website wrote, “You’ve probably heard of it, a young Jew dies when run after being hit by a tram in Bobigny. Jeremy Cohen died after being hit by a line 1 tram. The victim, taken to the hospital in a state of emergency, did not survive his injuries. Against all odds, his brothers set out to find testimonies.”
According to Radio Shalom, Cohen’s family “distributed flyers around the city, asking the public for witnesses to come forward and collect videos of the young man’s death.”
The station’s website added, “It turns out that he was attacked by a gang just before the facts,” according to testimony by his father, Gérald, his brother Raphaël and other representatives of the community in an interview conducted by Bernard Abouaf.
Far-Right Jewish French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour brought attention to the case, tweeting, “These images are chilling. The death of yet another of our children and the deafening silence on the facts revolt me. Did he die to escape scum? Did he die because he was a Jew? Why is this case hushed up?”