Suspected Arson Destroys Rambouillet Mosque in Overnight Blaze

The police and firefighters were alerted during the night of Friday to the fire in the precarious building that served as a place of worship for the Muslims of Rambouillet. Before their arrival on the spot, everything had burned: furniture, floors, prayer books and Korans. "There is no more mosque in Rambouillet (Yvelines)," said a woman who witnessed the extent of the damage on the morning of this Saturday, September 3.

Experts are to go to the site in the afternoon to investigate the causes of the fire. "The investigators of the judicial police will proceed with samples, collect as many testimonies as possible, study the environment and the history of the Association of Muslims of Rambouillet," explained Maryvonne Caillebotte, the public prosecutor of Versailles.

For his part, the prefect of Yvelines deplored this "regrettable and painful" fire. "It is a painful situation. [...] We will continue to work with mutual trust and serenity to allow them to build in hard materials. For now, we are waiting for their building permit application. And until then, with the mayor and other institutions, we will study how to find a temporary meeting room," he specified.

"It’s criminal! Two men were seen running away. And then, everything caught fire..." denounces a teenager. The president of the Association of Muslims of Rambouillet (AMR), Rachid Id Salah, also suspects a criminal act. "Under our tents, there was no gas, no electricity... Nothing that could have caused a fire of this kind," he notes. "We will see what we can do to find a solution," assured Véronique Matillon, mayor of Rambouillet. The Muslims of Rambouillet have been settled on this site lent by the town hall since 2009.