Arrested: 21-year-old French murder suspect, handed himself in at an Italian location
A Shocking Incident in a French Village
The gruesome killing of Aboubakir Cisse in a quaint French village has left people stunned, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to emphasize that there's no room for religious hatred in French society. Prime Minister François Bayrou swiftly denounced the act as Islamophobic.
Italian authorities identified the main suspect as Olivier Hadzovic, aged 21. French prosecutors, on the other hand, referred to him as Olivier A. The alleged murderer, a French national born in Lyon, surrendered voluntarily to a police station in Pistoia, northwest of Florence, on Sunday.
Abdelkrim Grini, prosecutor of the southern French city of Ales, shared the news with AFP, describing the suspect as the perpetrator of Cisse's murder. Italian police also confirmed the same in their statement. Initially, the suspect was accompanied by a lawyer and a relative during his visit to the police station. Grini stated that their effective measures left the suspect with no choice but to surrender.
Italian officials are now in contact with French authorities to ensure the suspect is handed over to justice.
On the tragic day, the suspect initially prayed alongside Cisse, a young Malian man in his twenties, before brutally stabbing him numerous times. Subsequently, he filmed the victim with his phone while shouting derogatory comments against Islam. They were the only two individuals in the mosque at the time. Cisse's body was discovered later that morning when people arrived for Friday prayers.
- 'I did it' -
The attack in the village of La Grand-Combe, Gard region, mirrors a series of fatal stabbings in France in recent years. France is home to the largest Muslim community in the EU. Over 70 French police officers have been actively working since Friday to locate and arrest the perpetrator, considered potentially extremely dangerous.
After boasting about his crime and expressing his intention to commit similar acts, the suspect filmed a video congratulating himself and insulting Allah. Lamentably, the anti-terror prosecutor's office has not taken up the case.
Mourad Battikh, the victim's family's lawyer, found it shocking that the anti-terror prosecutor's office hadn't intervened. He viewed the incident as a clear act of terrorism. The lawyer emphasized that this double standard further aggravates the feelings of the faithful.
French Government spokeswoman Sophie Primas refuted allegations of double standards in the authorities' reaction. Bruno Retailleau, the Interior Minister, asserts a firm stance against all forms of segregation, stigmatization, and violence, regardless of the community. However, some critics accuse him of fostering an Islamophobic climate.
The suspect, who is unemployed, was a resident of La Grande-Combe. Prosecutors believe that someone may have helped him travel to Italy. More than 1,000 people in La Grand-Combe gathered for a silent march in memory of the victim, making their way from the Khadidja Mosque to the town hall. Hundreds also gathered in Paris to denounce Islamophobia and show support for the victim's family.
President Macron expressed his support for the victim's family and made it clear that racism and hatred based on religion have no place in France.
- President Emmanuel Macron, in response to the gruesome killing of Aboubakir Cisse, stated that there's no room for religious hatred in French society.
- Italian authorities identified the main suspect in the killing, Olivier Hadzovic, a French national, who surrendered voluntarily to a police station in Pistoia.
- French prosecutors are in contact with their Italian counterparts to ensure the suspect is handed over to justice.
- Mourad Battikh, the victim's family's lawyer, found it surprising that the anti-terror prosecutor's office hasn't intervened, viewing the incident as a clear act of terrorism.
- President Macron, expressing support for the victim's family, made it clear that racism and hatred based on religion have no place in France.
- Emmanuel Macron and Bruno Retailleau, the Interior Minister, have taken firm stances against segregation, stigmatization, and violence, regardless of the community, but some critics accuse Retailleau of fostering an Islamophobic climate.
