Authorities claim that a man who is alleged to have killed a Muslim worshipper in a southern French mosque is still at large in a ”Islamophobic’ incident.
When the victim was fatally stabbed, both men were alone in the mosque in the Gard region’s La Grand-Combe on Friday when she was fatally stabbed. The attacker allegedly filmed the 20-year-old Malian man who was reportedly recording the attack on his phone.
According to a source close to the case, the suspected killer has been identified as a non-Muslim, French national of Bosnian descent, despite not being apprehended, according to the AFP news agency.
The attacker stabbed the victim about 50 times before fleeing the scene after initially praying alongside him. When other worshipers arrived at the mosque for Friday prayers later that morning, the body was discovered.
According to regional prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini, the suspect, who has only been identified as Olivier, was “potentially extremely dangerous” and had no criminal history before claiming additional victims.
The victim had just finished cleaning the mosque when he was killed, according to a statement from the Grand Mosque of Paris.
It demanded that the circumstances surrounding the attack be quickly explained, asked judges to confirm whether it was a “terrorist” act, and noted its “scale and seriousness… for the safety of all,” and asked for clarification.
Racism and hatred based on religion are inviolable in France. In his first comments on the killing, President Emmanuel Macron said, “Our fellow Muslim citizens cannot be denied the right to worship,” saying that “freedom of worship cannot be violated.”
Un jeune a été assassiné dans une garderie du Gard.
I adresse the support of the Nation to our fellow confessionalists in Musulmane through my family.
There will never be racism or religious hatred in France. The cult’s freedom is unreal.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin criticized the “despicable murder” that “wounds the hearts of all Muslims in France” on Saturday.
He said, “We stand shoulder to shoulder with the victim’s family and the shocked worshipers.” The state is mobilizing its resources to catch and punish the murderer, the statement reads.
Bruno Retailleau, Interior Minister, made the announcement to visit La Grand-Combe on Sunday.
A march “against Islamophobia” will be held later on Sunday at La Grand-Combe, according to the SOS Racisme campaign group.
On Sunday evening in France, including at Paris’ Place de la Republique, marches are planned throughout Paris. In honor of the victim, the marchers will observe a minute of silence.
Paris, 18th century, place de la république. twitter.com/mtyEAF75Pb
Source: Aljazeera
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