Marseille police officers arrested over death during rioting

Five police officers have been arrested over the death of a man during riots which shook France earlier this summer.

Delivery driver Mohamed Bendriss, 27, suffered a cardiac arrest amid rioting in Marseille on the night of 1 July.

The officers, who are from an elite riot control unit, were placed under investigation after an autopsy revealed Mr Bendriss may have died after being hit by a weapon used by police.

His family said he was an innocent bystander, AFP news agency reported.

Violent disorder broke out across France after 17-year-old Nahel M was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop in the Nanterre suburb of Paris on 27 June.

Hundreds were injured and arrested during clashes between police and crowds in several locations, including the southern port city of Marseille.

French prosecutors said a post-mortem investigation revealed marks on Mr Bendriss' chest which suggested he had been struck by a so-called flash-ball, or LBD, AFP reports.

The controversial weapons - which fire an exploding rubber or foam pellet - are dubbed "less than lethal," but campaigners have long said they should be banned and have linked them to serious injuries.

It is thought the married father-of-one may have suffered a heart attack while riding his scooter after being hit by a flash-ball.

In a statement issued to French media, a lawyer representing his pregnant wife said he had not been involved in any violence.

Mr Bendriss' death would be the first confirmed fatality on the French mainland to have resulted from this summer's disorder.

In French Guiana, a region of France on the north-east cost of South America, a 54-year-old was reportedly killed on 29 June after the Nahel M protests spread there. Authorities said they were killed by a stray bullet fired by rioters, Le Monde reported.

Marseille's police force has already been under scrutiny over its conduct during the national unrest after another man suffered life-changing injuries, also allegedly caused by a flash-ball.

A 22-year-old North African immigrant identified as Hedi was forced to have part of his skull amputated and lost the use of an eye.

Prosecutors said he was shot in the head with a flash-ball by police on 21 July.

Four officers are under investigation over the incident, including a 35-year-old identified as Christophe, who has denied deliberately injuring the man.

In an unusual move, he has been remanded in custody pending a trial, which has led to widespread controversy across France's police forces.