Brother of Toulouse gunman charged of complicity

The brother of the Toulouse gunman, Abdelkader Merah, 29, apperaed before a judge on charges of criminal conspiracy and will be kept in custody while he is investigated, prosecutors said.

Abdelkader Merah denies the accusations but says he was there when his brother stole a scooter used in the attacks.

He reportedly said he was proud of his brother, who was killed on Thursday.

Prosecutors said Abdelkader Merah was presented to a judge in Paris on charges of criminal conspiracy aimed at planning terrorist acts and of complicity in murders and gang robbery.

Police and prosecutors have previously reportedly said Abdelkader is a radical Islamist and that traces of what could be an explosive material were found in his car.

He was questioned several years ago about alleged links to a network sending Toulouse-area youths to Iraq, but no action was brought against him at the time, police sources say.

Mohamed Merah died in a shoot-out with police following a 32-hour siege of his apartment in Toulouse.

During the stand-off he had admitted shooting dead three soldiers in two separate incidents, and, last Monday, killing three children and a teacher at a Jewish school in the city.

Investigators are trying to establish if Merah, a 23-year-old French citizen of Algerian descent, acted alone.

Mohamed Merah had described himself as an al-Qaeda member, and told police he had bought weapons for €20,000 euros using money taken through break-ins and hold-ups.

He recorded the shootings on a video camera strapped to his body.

His older brother - and a woman described variously as his wife or girlfriend - were detained by police on Wednesday, and taken for questioning at domestic intelligence agency (DCRI) headquarters in Paris.

The woman was released without charge earlier on Sunday. The brothers' mother, 55-year-old Zoulika Aziri, had also been taken in for questioning, but was released without charge on Friday.