The search for a motive continues after a man killed a Muslim worshipper in a mosque in the south of France, with the public prosecutor’s office considering whether the motive for the attack was Islamophobia.
Police continue to search for the perpetrator, said to be a French man in his 20s who stabbed the young worshipper in the mosque in La Grand-Combe, north of Montpellier, up to 50 times on Friday morning.
He then filmed the victim with his mobile phone, Le Parisien newspaper reported, citing a source familiar with the investigation. During the attack, the man reportedly shouted insults against Allah.
Surveillance cameras at the mosque filmed the attack. At the time, the victim and the perpetrator were alone in the building, and it was not until mid-morning that other visitors to the prayer hall found the body.
The suspect is still on the run.
In terms of his motive, all hypotheses are being considered, including a “racist and Islamophobic” motive, said public prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini, according to French media reports.
The public prosecutor said the priority was to catch the alleged perpetrator as quickly as possible, Le Monde newspaper reported.
The suspect is considered to be potentially extremely dangerous, as he made confused statements on his video indicating his intention to act again.
“Racism and hatred based on religion will never have a place in France,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X on Sunday.
Earlier, French Prime Minister François Bayrou condemned the attack, calling it an “Islamophobic disgrace” in a post on X late on Saturday. (DPA)
