La Grand-Combe
\nItalian police have arrested a man suspected of killing a Muslim worshipper in a mosque in southern France in an \u201cIslamophobic attack\u201d.
\nThe suspect turned himself in at a police station near Florence late on Sunday, two days after the attack at the mosque in La Grand Combe, a former mining town in the Gard region. The murder of the Malian man has been condemned as an \u201canti-Muslim\u201d and \u201cracist\u201d crime.
\nThe French Ministry of the Interior confirmed that the suspect, born in 2004 and with no previous criminal record, had crossed into Italy before surrendering.
\nThe public prosecutor of the southern city of Ales in Gard, Abdelkrim Grini, told BFM TV that police had been tracking the suspect after he fled France, adding: \u201cIt was only a matter of time before we got our hands on him.\u201d \u201cThe anti-Muslim motivation is the preferred lead,\u201d he added, but noted that authorities were also exploring other motives, including a \u201cfascination with death\u201d.
\nAuthorities launched a manhunt on Friday following the attack, which was captured on the suspect\u2019s phone and later circulated online. Security footage reportedly showed the attacker shouting insults towards God before carrying out the assault.
\nFrance will quickly start extradition procedures, Grini said. \u201cWe will do all we can to have him back as soon as possible.\u201d
\nPresident Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack, declaring: \u201cRacism and hatred based on religion will never have a place in France. Religious freedom is inviolable.\u201d
\nEarlier, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou branded the attack as \u201cIslamophobic\u201d.
\nThe Grand Mosque of Paris identified the victim, named locally as Aboubakar, as a young man in his 20s who had been cleaning the mosque shortly before he was attacked.
\nDemonstrations in support of the victim were held over the weekend in La Grand Combe and Paris, with activists demanding stronger action against anti-Muslim violence.
\nFrance is home to Europe\u2019s largest Muslim population, making up about 10 percent of the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
La Grand-Combe Italian police have arrested a man suspected of killing a Muslim worshipper in a mosque in southern France in an \u201cIslamophobic attack\u201d. The suspect turned himself in at a police station near Florence late on Sunday, two days after the attack at the mosque in La Grand Combe, a former mining town in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":475363,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-475351","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n