Muslim Worshipper Killed in Brutal Mosque Attack in France, Community Demands Justice

A young Muslim man was stabbed to death while praying in a mosque in southern France last week, a crime that has shaken the nation’s Muslim community and triggered widespread protests against a growing tide of Islamophobia. 

Aboubakar Cisse, a 22-year-old Malian carpenter and volunteer at the Khadidja Mosque in La Grand-Combe, Gard region, was alone in the mosque early Friday morning when he was attacked. 

The assailant, identified by authorities as 21-year-old Olivier A., a French national of Bosnian origin, prayed alongside him before stabbing him nearly 50 times. 

Authorities say the attacker recorded the scene on his mobile phone, capturing Cisse writhing in agony, while shouting insults against Allah and congratulating himself, saying, "I did it." 

The suspect fled the scene, triggering a nationwide manhunt that mobilized over 70 French police officers. Authorities warned he was "potentially extremely dangerous," and prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini stressed it was "essential" to arrest him before he could claim more victims. 

After boasting about his crime on video and reportedly expressing intentions to commit further killings to become a "serial killer," the suspect crossed into Italy. On Sunday evening, he surrendered at a police station in Pistoia, near Florence, accompanied by a relative and a lawyer. 

The brutality and context of the murder drew swift condemnation. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou labeled it an "Islamophobic" crime, while President Emmanuel Macron asserted, "Racism and hatred based on religion will never have a place in France. Religious freedom is inviolable." 

Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin called the stabbing a "despicable murder" that "wounds the hearts of all believers, of all Muslims in France." 

Despite these statements, tensions flared over the official response. Mourad Battikh, the lawyer representing Cisse’s family, criticized the authorities for not immediately treating the case as terrorism. 

Speaking to the broadcaster, he said, "The video I saw didn't take me long to realise that this was an act of terrorism," adding, "Put yourself in the shoes of the faithful, who have the impression and the feeling that this double standard is materialising a little more every day." 

Public anger intensified when it emerged that Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, despite meeting officials in Ales, did not visit the site of the murder in La Grande Combe. Left-wing leader Jean Luc Melenchon, present at a Paris rally, accused Retailleau of fostering an "Islamophobic climate." 

Thousands of people marched across France on Sunday to honor Cisse’s memory and demand action against Islamophobia. More than 1,000 people participated in a silent march in La Grand Combe from the Khadidja Mosque to the town hall, while hundreds gathered at Paris’s Place de la Republique. 

Demonstrators carried signs reading, "Islamophobia kills, the state is complicit," and "Justice for Aboubakar." Activist Assa Traore told the crowd, "We have a system, we have a state that is afraid, and it is this fear that we are facing head-on." 

Muslim organizations and leaders voiced deep concern about systemic neglect. Mohammed Moussaoui, head of the French Muslim Council, said, "A great majority of Muslims in France feel that anti Muslim hatred is not taken as seriously as other hate." Abdallah Zekri, the rector of a mosque in Nimes, also condemned the growing Islamophobic atmosphere. 

The Grand Mosque of Paris, while condemning the murder, called on authorities to officially recognize the attack’s gravity, urging them to clarify if it constitutes a "terrorist act" and to consider the "scale and seriousness … for the safety of all." The mosque emphasized that Cisse had just finished cleaning the mosque when he was killed. 

Prosecutor Grini reiterated that "an anti-Muslim or Islamophobic motive" is a primary focus of the investigation, though he acknowledged that elements suggest the suspect might also have been driven by a "fascination with death." He confirmed that prosecutors suspect someone assisted the attacker in reaching Italy, and further investigations are ongoing. 

Italian police confirmed that Olivier A., also named Oliver Hadzovic in Italian media, surrendered himself, and both Italian and French officials are coordinating his extradition to France. 

French government spokesperson Sophie Primas denied accusations of a "double standard," insisting, "Bruno Retailleau is very determined to fight against all forms of segregation, stigmatisation and violence against any community whatsoever, including of course against our Muslim compatriots." 

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Cisse, the victim’s cousin, said in a statement,"My cousin was targeted because he was Muslim. It was premeditated, the person knowingly came to kill someone in a mosque… For us, Aboubakar is the victim of a terrorist attack." 

The French government has ordered heightened security at mosques nationwide following the attack. Yet, many Muslim citizens, grieving and frustrated, are demanding not just protection, but recognition and accountability.