France Boosts Mosque Security Nationwide After Fatal Stabbing in Gard

In an intervention on BFMTV, Bruno Retailleau assured that he had instructed "since Friday" the prefect of Gard to reinforce security around mosques in his territory, as well as all prefects to ensure that "all mosques in France are more protected than they are." The measure comes after the murder of a worshipper in the mosque of La Grand-Combe, in Gard. The victim, Aboubakar Cissé, a young Malian in his twenties, was stabbed to death on Friday by a young man of the same age, considered "extremely dangerous" and suspected of recidivism. He is still on the run, reports 7sur7.

The tragedy has sparked a wave of reactions from authorities at the highest level. "Racism and hatred based on religion will never have a place in France," Emmanuel Macron stated in a post on X. While expressing "the Nation’s support" to the victim’s family and "to our fellow citizens of Muslim faith," the French head of state took the opportunity to reaffirm that "freedom of worship is intangible." The residents of the commune, still in shock, organized a silent march to pay a final tribute to the victim.

More than a thousand people took part in this march, which took place between the Khadidja mosque, the scene of the tragedy, and the town hall. Participating in this march, Abdallah Zekri, rector of the Peace Mosque in Nîmes, expressed his "feeling of anger and hatred towards those who committed this crime," denouncing the worrying rise of Islamophobia. "From morning to night, you turn on the television, what do you hear, Islam, Muslims, migrants, OQTFs, that’s all there is," he complained.

According to the initial elements of the investigation, the murderer goes by the name of Olivier A. Born in Lyon in 2004 and of French nationality, he is reportedly of Bosnian origin. The young man is unemployed and has no criminal record. Investigators confirm that he is "potentially extremely dangerous" and emphasize the urgency of his arrest before he makes new victims. In a video made after his murder, the young man, in "disjointed remarks," seems to "manifest his intention to do it again," the prosecutor said on Saturday. "I did it, (...) your shitty Allah," he repeated twice in the video.