A man has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of fatally stabbing a worshipper who was praying inside a mosque in southern France, authorities confirmed on Monday, in an attack that has renewed concerns over anti-Muslim hatred in the country.
The public prosecutor of Ales, Abdelkrim Grini, said the suspect voluntarily handed himself in at a police station near Florence on Sunday night, between 11 and 11.30 pm.
“We knew he had left France … It was only a matter of time before we got our hands on him,” Grini revealed.
The suspect, who has not yet been formally named, surrendered in Pistoia and will be transferred to Florence later today. French authorities have said extradition proceedings will begin promptly.
“We will do all we can to have him back as soon as possible,” Grini said.
Investigators have indicated that an anti-Muslim motive is the leading line of inquiry.
However, Grini added that other factors were also being considered, including the possibility that the suspect had a fascination with death or aspired to be viewed as a serial killer.
The killing, which occurred on Friday, was captured on video and circulated on Snapchat, further fuelling outrage across France.
The attack comes at a time of heightened tensions surrounding France’s Muslim community.
Despite promoting a strict model of secularism, or laïcité, France is home to Europe’s largest Muslim population, numbering over six million people and making up roughly 10% of the national population.
French politicians widely condemned the attack over the weekend.
However, many advocacy groups and community leaders have warned that rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in political discourse and public life is contributing to an increasingly hostile environment.
