France files charges against gunman's brother who said he is proud of how Mohammed Merah executed his victims, including 3 children

An unidentified man with his head covered, believed to be Abdelkader Merah or his companion, sits between masked police officers as they head to the French police's anti-terrorist headquarters in Levallois-Perret, outside Paris, Saturday, March 24, 2012. Merah's brother, Mohamed Merah is blamed for a series of deadly shootings which have shocked France and upended the country's presidential race. Merah, who claimed allegiance to al-Qaida, died in a hail of gunfire Thursday after a dramatic 32-hour-long standoff with law enforcement. (AP Photo)

PARIS (AP) — A French judge filed preliminary murder and terrorism charges Sunday against the brother of a gunman who killed Jewish schoolchildren and paratroopers in attacks that stunned the country.

Investigators looking into France's worst terror attacks in years believe Mohamed Merah's brother helped prepare the killings and are trying to find out how deeply he was involved. They are also investigating whether they were linked to an international network or worked on their own.

Mohamed Merah, 23, claimed responsibility for killing three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi and three paratroopers earlier this month. After a 32-hour standoff with police, he died Thursday in a hail of gunfire as he jumped out a window of his apartment in the southern city of Toulouse.

Since then, attention has focused on his older brother Abdelkader Merah, who was handed preliminary charges on Sunday of complicity to murder and theft, and involvement in a terrorist enterprise, prosecutors said. Detained last week, he will remain in custody pending further investigation.

More...