Archive · 13 Jan 2026
Former Corsican separatist leader shot dead
A former leader of a group that wanted Corsica to be independent from France was killed by a gunshot during his mother's funeral.
The man, Alain Orsoni, was 71 years old and had been involved in politics and sports.
He was once in trouble for a shooting at an embassy in Paris a long time ago.
The police think his killing might be connected to a group that used to do violent things on the island of Corsica in the past.
It happened in a small village called Vero, near the capital city of Ajaccio.
Alain Orsoni, a 71-year-old former Corsican separatist leader, was shot dead during his mother's funeral in Vero, Corsica.
Orsoni led the Corsican Movement for Self-Determination, which was linked to the armed group Corsican National Liberation Front-Traditional Wing.
He was also charged and later pardoned for a 1980 machine gun attack on the Iranian embassy in Paris.
Orsoni served as the president of Corsican soccer club AC Ajaccio in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
The assassination was confirmed by local police, with the prosecutor stating Orsoni was hit by a long-range shot.
- Who
- Alain Orsoni, a 71-year-old former Corsican separatist leader
- What
- Shot dead during his mother's funeral
- When
- January 12, 2024
- Where
- Vero, Corsica, 30 km east of Ajaccio
- Why
- Authorities linked the Corsican National Liberation Front-Traditional Wing to a series of attacks in the 1990s, but the specific motive for Orsoni's assassination is not stated.
- Victim
- Alain Orsoni
- Age
- 71
- Location
- Vero, Corsica
- Date
- January 12, 2024
- Group
- Corsican National Liberation Front-Traditional Wing
- Occupation
- Former separatist leader, ex-president of AC Ajaccio