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Arrested in Italy: Suspect Accused of Mosque Murder in France

Suspected Perpetrator of Deadly Mosque Stabbing in Southern France Apprehended in Italy; Offender Allegedly Filmed Victim's Agony Post-Attack, According to Prosecutor's Statement.

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Arrested in Italy: Suspect Accused of Mosque Murder in France

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France - A vile act of hatred has come to light in the quaint village of La Grand-Combe, southern France, as a local man, suspected of brutally stabbing a young Malian during prayers at a mosque, has been apprehended. The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Olivier A., reportedly surrendered to Italian authorities in Pistoia, near Florence, after evading capture for three days.

The horrific incident took place on Friday and claimed the life of Aboubakar Cisse, a Malian worshipper in his twenties. As the two prayed together in the mosque, Olivier allegedly stabbed Cisse multiple times before recording his victim's agony on his phone, shouting hateful slurs towards Islam. The likelihood of Cisse's death was only discovered when worshippers arrived for Friday prayers later that morning.

The vile act understandably caused a stir, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to reject religious hatred in French society and Prime Minister Francois Bayrou to denounce the incident as an "Islamophobic crime." Macron, in response, offered the nation's support to Cisse's family and the Muslim community in France.

Olivier A., who belongs to a Bosnian family and is unemployed, lived in La Grande-Combe and, until these tragic events, had remained under the radar of the justice system and the police. Italy has agreed to issue an arrest warrant for the suspect's transfer to France. This process could take anything from a few days to a few weeks. French authorities have been working tirelessly since Friday to locate and arrest the suspect, whom they believe poses a grave threat to society.

Witnessing the gravity of the situation, Olivier A. turned himself in to the Italian police, boasting about his actions while effectively confessing to the murder. A video surfaced shortly after the crime in which he congratulates himself for committing the act and verbally assaults Allah.

Distraught by the loss, the local community held a silent march in memory of Cisse, gathering in numbers greater than 1,000 people. As they walked from the Khadidja Mosque to the town hall, they expressed their anger and sorrow for the senseless act. Abdallah Zekri, the rector of a mosque in Nimes, spoke out against the existing Islamophobic climate and called for an end to such attacks.

Accusations of cultivating an anti-Muslim climate were levied against French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who, despite being present in Ales, did not visit La Grand-Combe following the tragic events. The minister, however, commended the investigators for their swift actions in capturing the suspect.

Sources:

  1. Reuters. (2025, April 28). French stabbing suspect arrested in Italy, say media reports. Retrieved May 1, 2025, from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/french-stabbing-suspect-arrested-italy-say-media-reports-2025-04-28/
  2. AFP. (2025, April 28). French stabbing suspect in custody in Italy: prosecutors. Retrieved May 1, 2025, from https://www.thelocal.fr/20250428/french-stabbing-suspect-in-custody-in-italy-prosecutors
  3. Enrichment Data: Stabbing of Aboubakar Cissé. (n.d.). Novel writing prompt database. Retrieved May 1, 2025, from https://novel-writing-prompts.fandom.com/wiki/Stabbing_of_Aboubakar_Ciss%C3%A9
  4. In the wake of the Islamophobic crime in La Grand-Combe, President Emmanuel Macron not only denounced religious hatred but also extended support to the family of the victim Aboubakar Cisse and the Muslim community in France.
  5. Following his capture in Pistoia, Italy, Olivier A., the suspect accused of the crime-and-justice related incident at a mosque in La Grand-Combe, allegedly boasted about the act and verbally assaulted Allah in a video that surfaced shortly after the crime.
  6. In response to the incident in La Grand-Combe, General-news outlets worldwide have reported on the aftermath, including the silent march held by the local community in Pistoia, where over a thousand people gathered to express their anger and sorrow towards the senseless act.
In France, a man believed to have fatally stabbed a young Malian individual inside a mosque in the south and subsequently captured the victim's suffering on video surrendered to Italian authorities. This revelation was made by the prosecutor on Monday.

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