Toulouse gunman buried

With Mohamed Merah now buried in Toulouse, French authorities are now turning their attention to the investigation.

Merah's brother has been handed preliminary charges of alleged complicity in preparing the killings, though his lawyer insists he is innocent.

Abdelkader Merah told investigators that a third man helped the brothers steal a motorbike used later in the killings, two police officials said today.

Merah did not give the name of the other man.

The body of 23-year-old Mohammed Merah was buried in Toulouse today.

The mayor of Toulouse initially objected to the killer being buried in the area, but bowed to pressure from central government.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said:

"Let him be buried, and let's not create debate about this"

His brother has been charged with alleged complicity in preparing the killing, though his lawyer insists Abdelkader Merah had no idea what his brother was plotting.

The body of 23-year-old Mohamed Merah was buried in a cemetery in Toulouse today, after days of debate about what to do with his body.

Merah's father wanted him to be buried in Algeria, but the authorities refused for "reasons of public order."

The mayor of Toulouse relented to pressure from the central government in Paris to allow the burial to go ahead in the district.

The shootings were the worst terrorist attacks in France since the 1990s and have revived concerns about homegrown Islamist radicals carrying out violence.

23-year-old Mohamed Merah has been buried in the Muslim section of a cemetery in Toulouse.

His Algerian-born father wanted to bury him in Algeria, but the authorities refused the request.

Merah filmed himself killing three schoolchildren, a rabbi and three paratroopers earlier this month.

He was shot in the head last week after a stand-off with police in Toulouse.