French PM condemns fatal stabbing at mosque as Islamophobic attack
\n Paris
\nThe suspect behind a fatal stabbing at a mosque in La Grand-Combe, southern France, remains at large, authorities confirmed.
\nAles public prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini said a 23 or 24-year-old worshipper, identified as Aboubakar, was killed during Friday\u2019s attack.
\nThe National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor\u2019s Office is monitoring the case but has not formally assumed control.
\nLocal media reported that the suspect filmed himself after the stabbing, making derogatory remarks about \u201cAllah\u201d and the victim, who lay wounded on the ground. Witnesses told local outlets that the attacker used a mobile phone to record the scene after repeatedly stabbing the victim.
\nInvestigators are examining whether the attack was motivated by Islamophobia, according to reports from Franceinfo and Le Parisien.
\nGrini said the victim was a regular attendee at the mosque in Trescol, a hamlet within La Grand-Combe, while the assailant had no known ties to the community. Security camera footage captured images of the suspect, who remains unidentified by mosque-goers and residents.
\nCommunity members in La Grand-Combe have launched efforts to raise funds to repatriate Aboubakar\u2019s body to his family in Mali.
\nFrench Prime Minister Fran\u00e7ois Bayrou condemned the fatal stabbing, calling it an \u201cIslamophobic atrocity,\u201d as police continued their search for the suspect.
\nGrini confirmed that investigators are treating the killing as a potential hate crime. The French anti-terror prosecutor\u2019s office is monitoring the investigation but has not formally taken over.
\nAuthorities said the attacker, who had not been seen before at the mosque, initially prayed alongside the victim before launching the assault. Surveillance footage showed the attacker noticing the mosque\u2019s security cameras and acknowledging he would likely be arrested.
\nInterior Minister Bruno Retailleau described the killing as \u201cappalling\u201d and expressed solidarity with the Muslim community affected by the attack.
\n\u201cThe individual is being actively sought. This is a matter that is being taken very seriously,\u201d said the prosecutor Grini.
\n\u201cAll possibilities were being considered, including that of an act with an Islamophobic dimension,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
French PM condemns fatal stabbing at mosque as Islamophobic attack Paris The suspect behind a fatal stabbing at a mosque in La Grand-Combe, southern France, remains at large, authorities confirmed. Ales public prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini said a 23 or 24-year-old worshipper, identified as Aboubakar, was killed during Friday\u2019s attack. The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor\u2019s Office is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":475116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-475088","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n