A baby in France was almost given the same name as a jihadist who killed seven people, until authorities stepped in.
Mohamed Merah launched a terror campaign against three Jewish children, three soldiers and a rabbi in Toulouse back in March 2012.
Eventually killed by police, 12 days after his rampage began, Mohamed’s attacks were the beginning of a series of religiously motivated killings in the country.
Authorities intervened over the naming of the child, after a prosecutor said the name could harm the child as he grows up, and he could be subjected to prejudice as a result.
Under French law, parents are free to name their baby anything, but when the French state believes a name is not in the best interested of the child, it can intervene.
Last year, the state stopped parents from calling their child ‘Nutella,’ after the popular hazelnut spread.
