Mohamed Bendriss may have died after being hit by a police weapon during the unrest earlier this summer.

The policeman has been in pre-trial detention since a man was hit in the head by a rubber bullet.

The move comes after rioting sparked by last month's killing of a 17-year-old by police in Nanterre.

The riots in the country's suburban estates have subsided, for now, but deep divisions remain.

In one of Marseille's most deprived neighbourhoods, residents say local despair fuels riots.

The government says the levels of violence across the country have further eased.

A mayor in one of France's poorest areas wants the state to take tougher measures against rioters.

French mayors denounce "extreme violence" of the protests which swept the country for almost a week.