PARIS, April 16 (Reuters) – A Frenchman whose role in a fatal hit-and-run in Israel more than a decade ago triggered a diplomatic dispute between Paris and Jerusalem, was shot dead on a street in the wealthy Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine on Thursday, French prosecutors said.
Eric Robic was killed at around 9:30 a.m. (0730 GMT) in a public street, with early witness accounts describing several handgun shots fired by two men riding a scooter, who fled the scene immediately, according to judicial authorities.
Robic, who had 12 convictions, including for financial offences, was most well known for the 2011 killing of Israeli woman Lee Zeitouni, who was struck by his speeding SUV in Tel Aviv.
Robic and a passenger fled Israel within hours of the accident, triggering public outrage and a diplomatic row after France refused Israel’s extradition request under its policy of not extraditing its own nationals.
The case strained Franco-Israeli relations and led to sustained political and public pressure in both countries.
Under French law, Robic was later tried in Paris. In 2014, a French court convicted him of aggravated involuntary homicide and failure to assist a person in danger, sentencing him to five years in prison.
Authorities have not yet commented on possible motives for Thursday’s killing.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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