Suspect Denies Islamophobia in French Mosque Attack, Claims Memory Loss
The individual accused of the Islamophobic assault at the mosque in La Grand-Combe, France, allegedly has no memory of recording his acts and refutes accusations of holding anti-Islamic views, as stated by his attorney. When addressing this situation, BFMTV On Monday, Attorney Giovanni Salvietti stated that following the assault, which occurred last Friday, Olivier A. "escaped by train to Italy," journeying light-headed to stay at his aunt’s house in Pistoia, close to Florence. “When he reached on Saturday night, he admitted all the details to her, and she encouraged him to surrender accompanied by a lawyer whom she was acquainted with,” as per the report from the news source.
Salvietti asserted that his client did not commit the act "due to animosity towards Islam." The individual, aged 21, turned himself over to law enforcement on Sunday night, mentioning that he "murdered the first person he came across" during his walk. The attorney further contended that the crime was spontaneous rather than planned, claiming that Olivier A. "was seized with the desire to kill right then." On Monday, however, the public prosecutor in Nîmes declared the initiation of a judicial inquiry into "premeditated murder driven by racial or religious bias."
Within the mosque, the deceased, Aboubakar Cissé, was discovered with numerous stab injuries. It has been reported that the suspect recorded the young Malian man as he was dying, uttering statements against religion. His family expressed worries about potential depression being an influencing element due to what they described as prolonged isolation in his room for months without interacting with others. According to BFMTV’s report, when questioned, the accused came across as very reserved, uncommunicative, and detached.
Regarding the legal process, it is anticipated to "wrap up by Wednesday" so as to facilitate his extradition to France, which issued a European arrest warrant when they lost sight of the suspect in Hérault during the investigation. For now, Olivier A. stays "in a detention cell at the Pistoia police headquarters," and he might be transferred to a higher-security prison in either Florence or Prato to safeguard him against possible retaliation from fellow prisoners.
On Sunday, a white march paying tribute to the victim attracted over a thousand individuals in La Grand-Combe, situated between the mosque and the city hall. A similar event took place in Paris as well, drawing various political personalities such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon.