Islamophobia in France: Suspect in deadly mosque attack remains at large Photo

A man suspected of fatally stabbing a Malian worshipper at a mosque in southern France remains on the run, according to authorities.

The incident, which Prime Minister François Bayrou has described as "Islamophobic," occurred on April 25 in La Grand-Combe, a former mining town in the Gard region, Caliber.Az reports, via foreign media.

The assailant and the victim were the only two individuals in the mosque when the attack took place. The victim, a man in his 20s, was allegedly filmed during the attack by the suspect, who recorded the brutal stabbing on his phone. The victim’s body was discovered later that morning when other worshippers arrived for Friday prayers.

The suspected attacker has been identified as Olivier, a 2004-born French national of Bosnian descent. Authorities have confirmed that he is unemployed and has no previous criminal record. Regional prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini described him as “potentially extremely dangerous” and stressed the importance of his swift capture to prevent further harm.

The Grand Mosque of Paris condemned the attack, revealing that the victim had been cleaning the mosque before the fatal assault. The mosque has called for clarity from judicial authorities regarding whether the attack is being treated as a “terrorist” act, noting the incident’s "scale and seriousness."

The attack has sparked nationwide outrage, with marches against Islamophobia planned throughout France. A march in La Grand-Combe took place on April 27, followed by several more in cities including Paris, where demonstrators observed a minute’s silence in the victim’s memory. Prominent figures from the far-left La France Insoumise party and Green Party have called for participation in the protests.

By Aghakazim Guliyev