French prosecutors have opened an investigation into an online collection for a policeman who sparked nationwide riots in June by shooting a teenager dead in a Paris suburb.
Far-right media commentator Jean Messiha launched a campaign on GoFundMe and received pledges of more than €1.6 million ($1.7 million) before it was closed in early July.
A legal complaint alleging fraud, misuse of personal data and Messiha's involvement in these crimes was filed by the mother of 17-year-old French-Algerian Nahel Merzouk, who was killed in Nanterre on June 27.
A legal investigation by specialised financial crime investigators was under way, the Paris prosecutor told AFP on Wednesday.
"We welcome the speed of the decision by the prosecutor," said Yassine Bouzrou, the lawyer for Nahel's family.
Messiha has been contacted for comment.
Riots in France - in pictures
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French soldiers patrol near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. EPA -
Graffiti reading "Justice Nahel" scrawled on the Palais Royal Musee du Louvre Metro sign in Paris. Getty Images -
Branch of BNP Paribas bank on Rue La Boetie in Paris with windows boarded up amid nationwide rioting. EPA -
Vehicle overturned in Paris street amid clashes between riot police and protesters. Reuters -
Police clash with protesters on the Champs Elysees in Paris. Reuters -
A policemen walks past a burning lorry in Nantes, western France, amid protests. AFP -
French police arrested hundreds of people nationwide during a fourth consecutive night of rioting over the killing of a teenager by police. AFP -
Firefighters control the blaze on a burning bus in Nanterre. EPA -
Protesters block a street during during clashes with riot police in Colombes, near Paris. EPA -
Firefighters extinguish a bus set on fire during clashes between protesters and riot police, in Nanterre. EPA -
Buses and trams were also targeted in some of the previous nights' violence. EPA -
Protesters block a street with bins in Colombes. AP -
Police officers patrol in Nanterre, outside Paris. AP -
Police officers patrol in Nanterre, outside Paris. AP -
A burning car in the La Meinau district of Strasbourg, eastern France. AP -
Protesters in Concorde, Paris. Getty Images -
France had deployed 45,000 officers overnight to tackle the violence. AP -
People demonstrate in Concorde, Paris. Getty
The 38-year-old motorbike traffic officer behind the killing of Nahel has been detained and charged with voluntary manslaughter.
The shooting, at point-blank range, sparked the most intense urban violence in France since 2005 and rekindled complaints about heavy-handed policing and racism in poor areas of the country.
Messiha said the fund, which was intended for the officer's family, was "a cry from French people to demand order, a cry of love for their security forces".
