A man suspected of stabbing a young Malian to death in a mosque in southern France and filming the horrific scene has turned himself in to police in Italy, authorities confirmed Monday. The dramatic development comes as the nation grapples with the shock of the brutal attack and its implications for community safety and social cohesion.
The suspect, known as “Olivier A.,” is a French national born in Lyon in 2004. He surrendered to authorities at a police station in Pistoia, near Florence, on Sunday, according to Abdelkrim Grini, the prosecutor overseeing the case in the southern town of Ales. “This is very satisfying for me as a prosecutor,” Grini remarked. “Faced with the effectiveness of the measures put in place, the suspect had no option but to hand himself in that is the best outcome we could have hoped for.”
An international arrest warrant is set to be issued, paving the way for his transfer back to France. Over 70 French police officers had been deployed since Friday in a frantic effort to locate and apprehend the suspect, who is considered “potentially extremely dangerous,” Grini added.
The suspect, from a Bosnian family and unemployed, had ties to the Gard region and lived in La Grande Combe, a small town north of Ales. “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 explained.
The attack shocked the local community, with more than 1,000 residents gathering in La Grande Combe for a silent march on Sunday. Participants walked from the Khadidja Mosque, where the stabbing occurred, to the town hall, in memory of the victim, Aboubakar Cisse, in his twenties.
The tragedy also sparked outrage across France. Several hundred people assembled later in Paris, including prominent political figures like Jean-Luc Melenchon, who criticized the government’s handling of social tensions, accusing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau of fostering an “Islamophobic climate.”
President Emmanuel Macron expressed the nation’s support for the victim’s family and the Muslim community, emphasizing that “racism and hatred based on religion will never have a place in France.” The attack has reignited debates over social integration, religious tolerance, and national security amid a tense atmosphere.
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