Bayonne Mosque Shooting Victims Stable After Surgery, Investigation Continues

The two men, aged 74 and 78, who had been hit, one in the neck, the other in the chest and arm, seem to be leaving the stage of vital prognosis engaged for that of stability, after a surgical intervention.

The President of the Association of Muslims of the Basque Coast, Abdellatif Boutaty, confirmed the information, adding that one of the two injured men was to undergo a new operation on Tuesday.

The Bayonne mosque remained closed on Tuesday morning, for the needs of the investigation entrusted to the Judicial Police; its access was blocked by a cordon and a police car, with two officers on guard, their faces hidden behind a scarf.

The damage caused by the attempted arson is still visible with the wooden door of the mosque, blackened by the flames.

The town hall spoke about the opening of the place of worship: the mosque "could reopen by the end of Tuesday or Wednesday morning at the latest, it’s just a matter of hours".

The alleged perpetrator of the arson attack and shooting in front of the Bayonne mosque, arrested around 3:30 p.m. at his home in Saint-Martin-de-Seignanx, has been in custody since Tuesday on charges of attempted murder.