Latest news with #OlivierA
Euronews
09-05-2025
- Euronews
Suspect in murder of man killed in French mosque repatriated to France
The suspect in the case of a young man who was murdered inside a mosque in the south of France has been repatriated from Italy on Friday. The suspect — referred to by French media as Olivier A. — is a French national who was born in 2004. He was transferred from Florence to a courthouse in the southern French city of Nîmes, according to media reports. Upon his arrival, he is expected to go before the magistrate leading the investigation to present his version of events. He reportedly faces a possible indictment for "murder aggravated by premeditation and the circumstance of commission because of race or religion" and "evading search or arrest." Before handing himself in to Italian authorities — for the murder of a 22-year old Malian man named Aboubakar Cissé — the suspect spent three days on the run. Cissé was attacked and stabbed dozens of times while praying at a mosque in the former mining town of La Grand-Combe in the south of France. Olivier A. — who lived in the area and who is not reported to have a criminal record — filmed the murder, which he then posted on Snapchat. Cissé's murder sparked a fiery debate in France in recent weeks, as government officials faced criticism for not initially treating the incident as a hate crime or showing the degree of concern they had in other fatal attacks.
Ya Biladi
29-04-2025
- Ya Biladi
Suspect in French mosque attack denies Islamophobia, claims memory loss
The suspect in the Islamophobic attack at the mosque in La Grand-Combe, France, reportedly does not recall filming his actions and denies being «against Islam», according to his lawyer. Speaking to BFMTV on Monday, attorney Giovanni Salvietti said that after the attack, which took place last Friday, Olivier A. «fled by train to Italy», traveling without any luggage to stay with an aunt in Pistoia, near Florence. «Upon his arrival on Saturday evening, he confessed everything to her, and she urged him to turn himself in with the help of a lawyer she knew», the media outlet reported. Salvietti maintained that his client did not act «out of hatred for Islam». The 21-year-old surrendered to police on Sunday evening, stating that he «killed the first person he encountered» along his path. The lawyer also suggested that the act was not premeditated, arguing that Olivier A. «felt an urge to kill at that moment». Meanwhile, on Monday, the Nîmes public prosecutor announced the opening of a judicial investigation «for premeditated murder motivated by race or religion». Inside the mosque, the body of the victim, Aboubakar Cissé, was found with dozens of stab wounds. The suspect had reportedly filmed the young Malian as he lay dying, making anti-religious remarks. Citing possible personal struggles, the assailant's family raised concerns that «depression» might have been a factor. «According to them, he had spent months isolating himself in his room, refusing to speak to anyone», BFMTV noted, describing a suspect who appeared «very quiet, taciturn, and withdrawn» during questioning. As for the legal proceedings, they are expected to «conclude by Wednesday» to enable his extradition to France, which had issued a European arrest warrant after losing track of the suspect in Hérault during the search. In the meantime, Olivier A. remains «in a holding cell at the Pistoia police prefecture» and could be moved to a more secure prison facility in Florence or Prato to prevent potential reprisals from other inmates. On Sunday, a white march honoring the victim brought together more than a thousand people in La Grand-Combe, between the mosque and the town hall. Another gathering was also held in Paris, attended by political figures, including Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
French Muslims decry religious hatred as mosque stabbing suspect arrested
French Muslim leaders have said more must be done to counter anti-Muslim hatred in France after a man was arrested on suspicion of stabbing a young worshipper to death inside a mosque in a southern village. Olivier A, 21, a French national born in Lyon, surrendered to police in Italy on Sunday after three days on the run, French prosecutors announced on Monday morning. He is suspected of killing Aboubakar Cissé, 22, a Malian man who had trained in France as a carpenter and worked as a volunteer at the mosque in La Grand-Combe in south-eastern France. Olivier A is alleged to have entered the mosque on Friday morning and stabbed Cissé dozens of times. He is alleged to have filmed his victim in agony with a mobile phone. In the footage a man can be heard congratulating himself, saying: 'I did it' and shouting insults at Allah. Cissé had gone to the mosque alone early on Friday morning to pray. His body was discovered when worshippers began arriving later that morning for prayers. The incident in the village in provincial France has caused shock, prompting the president, Emmanuel Macron, to say there is no place for religious hate in French society and the prime minister, François Bayrou, to denounce an 'Islamophobic' crime. Mohammed Moussaoui, the head of the French Muslim council, told France Info radio: 'A great majority of Muslims in France feel that anti-Muslim hatred is not taken as seriously as other hate.' He said Muslims were 'worried and concerned' about the current climate and asked why an anti-terrorism inquiry had not been opened into the case. Abdelkrim Grini, the state prosecutor in the southern city of Alès, told BFMTV on Monday that the alleged attacker had gone to an Italian police station near Florence at around 11:30pm on Sunday night. He said: 'We knew he had left France … It was only a matter of time before we caught him. The suspect had no option but to hand himself in.' Grini said an 'anti-Muslim or Islamophobic motive' was the main lead in the investigation, given the nature of the crime and the fact a worshipper had been targeted while praying inside a mosque. He said there were also other elements in the investigation that could suggest the suspect had a 'fascination with death' and had wanted to kill and 'be known as a serial killer'. Ibrahim Cissé, the cousin of Aboubakar Cissé, told Le Parisien on Sunday: 'My cousin was targeted because he was Muslim.' He said he considered the crime to be terrorism: 'It was premeditated, the person knowingly came to kill someone in a mosque … For us, Aboubakar is the victim of a terrorist attack.' The suspect is understood to have been unemployed and lived in La Grande-Combe. Grini said: 'He was someone who had remained under the radar of the justice system and the police.' In La Grand-Combe, more than 1,000 people gathered on Sunday for a silent march in memory of the victim, setting out from the Khadidja mosque, where the stabbing occurred, to the town hall. Abdallah Zekri, the rector of a Nîmes mosque, denounced an Islamophobic climate in France. Several hundred people also gathered in Paris on Sunday to protest against Islamophobia. Macron wrote on social media on Sunday to express support to the family and 'to our Muslim compatriots'. He posted on X: 'Racism and hatred based on religion will never have a place in France.' The French government has ordered police to tighten security at mosques around the country.
The Guardian
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
French Muslims decry religious hatred as mosque stabbing suspect arrested
French Muslim leaders have said more must be done to counter anti-Muslim hatred in France after a man was arrested on suspicion of stabbing a young worshipper to death inside a mosque in a southern village. Olivier A, 21, a French national born in Lyon, surrendered to police in Italy on Sunday after three days on the run, French prosecutors announced on Monday morning. He is suspected of killing Aboubakar Cissé, 22, a Malian man who had trained in France as a carpenter and worked as a volunteer at the mosque in La Grand-Combe in south-eastern France. Olivier A is alleged to have entered the mosque on Friday morning and stabbed Cissé dozens of times. He is alleged to have filmed his victim in agony with a mobile phone. In the footage a man can be heard congratulating himself, saying: 'I did it' and shouting insults at Allah. Cissé had gone to the mosque alone early on Friday morning to pray. His body was discovered when worshippers began arriving later that morning for prayers. The incident in the village in provincial France has caused shock, prompting the president, Emmanuel Macron, to say there is no place for religious hate in French society and the prime minister, François Bayrou, to denounce an 'Islamophobic' crime. Mohammed Moussaoui, the head of the French Muslim council, told France Info radio: 'A great majority of Muslims in France feel that anti-Muslim hatred is not taken as seriously as other hate.' He said Muslims were 'worried and concerned' about the current climate and asked why an anti-terrorism inquiry had not been opened into the case. Abdelkrim Grini, the state prosecutor in the southern city of Alès, told BFMTV on Monday that the alleged attacker had gone to an Italian police station near Florence at around 11:30pm on Sunday night. He said: 'We knew he had left France … It was only a matter of time before we caught him. The suspect had no option but to hand himself in.' Grini said an 'anti-Muslim or Islamophobic motive' was the main lead in the investigation, given the nature of the crime and the fact a worshipper had been targeted while praying inside a mosque. He said there were also other elements in the investigation that could suggest the suspect had a 'fascination with death' and had wanted to kill and 'be known as a serial killer'. Ibrahim Cissé, the cousin of Aboubakar Cissé, told Le Parisien on Sunday: 'My cousin was targeted because he was Muslim.' He said he considered the crime to be terrorism: 'It was premeditated, the person knowingly came to kill someone in a mosque … For us, Aboubakar is the victim of a terrorist attack.' The suspect is understood to have been unemployed and lived in La Grande-Combe. Grini said: 'He was someone who had remained under the radar of the justice system and the police.' In La Grand-Combe, more than 1,000 people gathered on Sunday for a silent march in memory of the victim, setting out from the Khadidja mosque, where the stabbing occurred, to the town hall. Abdallah Zekri, the rector of a Nîmes mosque, denounced an Islamophobic climate in France. Several hundred people also gathered in Paris on Sunday to protest against Islamophobia. Macron wrote on social media on Sunday to express support to the family and 'to our Muslim compatriots'. He posted on X: 'Racism and hatred based on religion will never have a place in France.' The French government has ordered police to tighten security at mosques around the country.
Local France
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Local France
French mosque murder suspect arrested in Italy
The suspect, Olivier A, a French national born in Lyon in 2004, "surrendered himself to a police station in Pistoia" near Florence, on Sunday, Abdelkrim Grini, the prosecutor of the southern city of Alès, who is in charge of the case, told AFP. "This is very satisfying for me as a prosecutor. 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," Grini said. A European arrest warrant will be issued for his transfer across the border to France, the prosecutor said. More than 70 French police officers had been mobilised since Friday to "locate and arrest" the perpetrator, considered "potentially extremely dangerous", the prosecutor said. Advertisement "After boasting about his act, after practically claiming responsibility for it, he made comments that would suggest he intended to commit similar acts again," Grini had said on Sunday. The suspect is from a Bosnian family, unemployed, and with ties to the southern Gard region. He lived in the small town of La Grande Combe which lies north of Alès. "He was someone who had remained under the radar of the justice system and the police, and who had never been in the news until these tragic events," Grini had said on Sunday. In La Grand-Combe, more than 1,000 people gathered on Sunday for a silent march in memory of the victim, Aboubakar Cisse, who was in his twenties. They marched from the Khadidja Mosque, where the stabbing occurred, to the town hall. Several hundred people also gathered in Paris later Sunday, including three-time presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who accused Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau of cultivating an "Islamophobic climate". "Racism and hatred based on religion will never have a place in France," President Emmanuel Macron said on X on Sunday, expressing "the nation's support" to the victim's family and "to our Muslim compatriots".
