Hichem Miraoui, a 45-year-old Tunisian barber, was at home in the south of France late in May, chatting on the phone with his mother and sisters, when a neighbour drove past and shot him dead on his doorstep

After killing Miraoui and shooting Kurdish neighbour Akif Badur in the hand, Christophe Belgembe posted four videos on Facebook, according to France's anti-terror prosecutor's office, known as PNAT. Bemoaning a state "unable to protect us, unable to send them home," Belgembe said he had "taken out two or three pieces of shit" and this was only the beginning

Belgembe surrendered to police a few hours later and confessed his guilt, the PNAT said. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment

Belgembe denied any racist or terrorist motivation but the PNAT charged him with racially motivated, premeditated murder and attempted murder as part of a terrorist undertaking

It was the first time the PNAT, which can take over any criminal investigation it believes meets the criteria for terrorism, has investigated a murder inspired by far-right ideas. Terrorism sentences are tougher, and counter-terrorism forces have greater investigative powers

The PNAT's move is indicative of a broader shift in France, where jihadist attacks have fallen while racist, xenophobic or anti-religious crimes are up 11% compared with last year amid growing support for the far-right

In one of his post-attack videos, Belgembe expressed support for the far-right National Rally (RN), France's largest parliamentary party, according to a source who had seen the video but was not authorized to speak publicly about it

RN spokesperson Laurent Jacobelli did not respond to a request for comment on the video. On X, RN chief Marine Le Pen said the PNAT's decision to probe Miraoui's killing would shed light on this "heinous murder," which appeared to be "racist"