Suspect in 2019 Bayonne Mosque Attack Dies in French Prison

According to the public prosecutor, Claude Sinké’s death is linked to a "sudden deterioration in his health condition". Taken to the emergency room in Mont-de-Marsan on Wednesday, February 26, the alleged perpetrator of the Bayonne mosque attack died shortly after 9 p.m., he reports. An investigation, conducted by the city’s police station, will identify the causes of the inmate’s death. An autopsy will also be performed.

The attack on the Bayonne mosque occurred on October 28, 2019, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. That day, around 3:20 p.m., the assailant had opened fire on this mosque. The toll was two seriously injured. The alleged perpetrator of this attack is named Claude Sinké, an 84-year-old man, a candidate for the Rassemblement national (formerly Front national) in the 2015 departmental elections.

He admitted the facts during his interrogation. Claude Sinké is known for his hateful remarks towards foreigners and Muslims. The octogenarian promotes the far-right ideology, including Islamophobia. He justified his act in these terms: "I wanted to avenge the fire of Notre-Dame".