Suspected mosque killer, aged 21, yields in Italy

Rewritten Article:

France's latest tragedy unfolded in a small village, where a brutal stabbing at a local mosque left a young Muslim worshipper, Aboubakar Cisse, dead. The shocking incident has ignited a whirlwind of reactions, with President Emmanuel Macron declaring there's no place for religious prejudice in French society, and Prime Minister Francois Bayrou condemning the act as an "Islamophobic" crime.

The alleged perpetrator, initially reported as Oliver Hadzovic by Italian authorities, later identified as Olivier A by French prosecutors, ultimately surrendered to a police station in Pistoia, northwest of Florence, on Sunday. The French national, originally from Lyon, was termed as the perpetrator of the heinous act by Italian police.

According to Italian police, the suspect, of Bosnian descent, visited the police station in Pistoia on Sunday evening accompanied by a lawyer and a close family relative residing in the town. The prosecutor, Abdelkrim Grini, applauded the effective measures that prompted the suspect's surrender, stating, "Faced with the effectiveness of the measures put in place, the suspect had no option but to hand himself in, and that is the best thing he could have done."

Italian officials are currently liaising with their French counterparts to ensure the suspect is handed over to justice. The attack occurred on Friday, when the suspect initially prayed with Cisse, a young Malian man in his twenties, before stabbing him multiple times and videotaping the atrocity on a mobile phone while shouting vile anti-Islamic slurs. The mosque was deserted at the time, and the body was discovered later when worshippers arrived for Friday prayers.

Speaking to broadcaster BFMTV, Mourad Battikh, the victim's family's lawyer, denounced the anti-terror prosecutor's office's lack of involvement in the case. He branded the ghastly act as "an act of terrorism" and hinted at the potential for future attacks. Battikh expressed dismay at the perceived double standard, questioning why the police response seeming to prioritize the suspect over the welfare of the Muslim community.

Regarding the case, French government spokeswoman Sophie Primas defended the authorities' reaction, asserting that Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau was "very determined to eliminate all forms of segregation, stigmatization, and violence against any community, including our Muslim compatriots."

The suspect, an unemployed resident of the village, remained under the radar of the justice system and the police, having no prior involvement in reported incidents. Prosecutors speculate that someone helped the suspect flee to Italy. In memory of Cisse, more than a thousand people marched in silence from the Khadidja Mosque, where the stabbing took place, to the town hall in La Grand-Combe. Several hundred people also assembled in Paris, led by left-wing firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, who attributed the climate of Islamophobia to Retailleau's policies.

President Macron offered condolences to Cisse's family and "our Muslim compatriots," vowing that "racism and hatred based on religion will never have a place in France." The case has amplified tensions within French Muslim communities, but explicit links to Islamophobia remain unconfirmed in official statements.

Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, has added his voice to the outcry following the tragic stabbing of a Muslim worshipper, Aboubakar Cisse, at a local mosque in France.
The alleged perpetrator, initially reported as Oliver Hadzovic, is now identified as Olivier A by French prosecutors, and they are currently working with Italian authorities to secure his arrest and extradition.
prime minister Francois Bayrou has condemned the act as an "Islamophobic" crime, highlighting the need for justice in France.
In a show of solidarity, more than a thousand people marched in silence in La Grand-Combe, calling for an end to Islamophobia and religious prejudice.
Left-wing firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon led a rally in Paris, linking the climate of Islamophobia to current government policies.
Emmanuel Macron has pledged to eliminate all forms of Islamophobia in French society, emphasizing that racism and hatred based on religion will never have a place in France.