Hebdo suspect defended by classmates on Twitter

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Hebdo suspect defended by classmates on Twitter

In series of tweets using the hashtag #MouradHamydInnocent, Students say that the youngest suspect, getaway driver Mourad Hamyd, was in class at the time the attack took place.

Hamyd had turned himself in  to the police and claimed his innocence yesterday.

The Guardian reports: Mourad Hamyd turned himself in to police in his home town of Charleville-Mézières, near the Belgian border, after he was named as one of three suspects in the attack, which killed 12, and saw his name on social media.

Soon afterwards, people claiming to be his classmates started tweeting under the hashtag #MouradHamydInnocent. “He’s in my class, and he was there for lessons this morning,” wrote @babydroma. Her account has been active since 2012, and before Wednesday was full of chatter about teachers and lessons, with a picture of film star James Franco as wallpaper.

Apparently frustrated by journalists and others questioning her identity and motive, a couple of hours later she added: “I swear to you I haven’t spoken to Mourad more than five times, but I felt obliged to help him.” She later clarified that they had been in a philosophy class at the time of the attack.

Others also joined in on the same hashtag: “Imagine that you went to class with your mate, and then in the evening he is accused of [taking part in] the attack. Please retweet #MouradHamydInnocent,” said @_neednobody. The 18-year-old, called Laura, has a longstanding account with tens of thousands of tweets and says she is studying for a BTS, a vocational qualification.

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