Arson Attempt at Turkish Mosque in France Amid COVID-19 Closure

An arson fire broke out, Friday, October 30 around 12:40 am in front of the classroom doors of this mosque, which has been closed since Thursday, October 29, 2020 to contribute to the fight against the spread of Covid-19, reports L’Écho républicain. An as yet unidentified individual appears on the CCTV images. He is seen emptying a can of gasoline into the trash can before setting it on fire and fleeing.

In a statement, the police said the incident was considered an attempted arson attack, and that the camera recordings would be examined as part of the investigation, the same source specifies. The association managing the mosque has also filed a complaint. "The analysis of the CCTV images is underway to clarify this attempted arson which caused no casualties," assured Captain Cheick-Omar Fofana.

"It could have been more serious. The fire did not spread fortunately. The individual perhaps thought the door was in PVC, but it is in aluminum," commented Nazim Kuzuoglu, president of the youth section of the mosque, also a municipal councilor in Châteaudun.

For its part, the Milli Gorus Islamic Confederation (CIMG) to which the place of worship belongs has called on Muslim believers to be serene and vigilant. It says it has full confidence in the gendarmes and police to carry out their investigations and apprehend the individual in question, and to hand him over "to justice as soon as possible".