AFP reports: Hamyd Mourad describes himself as a normal 18-year-old who lives with his parents, but on the day France was gripped by the Charlie Hebdo massacre, he became known as “the third suspect” – even though he was in class at the time of the shooting.

The brother-in-law of one of the two gunmen turned himself in to police on Wednesday, horrified and baffled to hear his name circulating in the news and on social media, and he was released without charge on Friday evening, relieved but badly shaken.

“I was stunned, completely overwhelmed by the events but the police officers were very correct with me,” the visibly tired high school student told AFP in the presence of his lawyer Marie Calleghaer and several family members.

Numerous witnesses verified he was in school when brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi gunned down 12 people at the Paris office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, kicking off three days of violence that left a total of 17 people dead and traumatised a nation.

“I’m in shock, people said horrible and false things about me on social media even though I am a normal student who lives quietly with his parents,” said the bespectacled teenager who one day hopes to study medicine.

“The attack was horrific and my thoughts are with the victims,” he added. [Continue reading…]