Murder in a mosque in Gard: the suspect in the assassination of Aboubakar Cissé returned to France via Menton

On Friday, April 25, at around 8:30 a.m., a man entered the Khadidja mosque in La Grand-Combe, a small town in the Gard region, and stabbed a worshipper , Aboubakar Cissé, to death as he came to sweep the floor of the mosque where he prayed regularly.

The extremely violent attack - the victim was stabbed around forty times - was partly filmed by the perpetrator himself, who then posted the video on social media, hurling insults against Islam and expressing his desire to kill more people to become a "serial killer".

The suspect fled immediately after the incident . The victim was found dead late in the morning by other worshippers who had come for Friday prayers.

Supported by RAID at the border

The suspect, Olivier Hadzovic, turned himself in after a four-day manhunt. He appeared at a police station in Pistoia, near Florence, on April 29.

Initially held at Prato prison, about twenty kilometers from the police station, he was quickly transferred to Santo Stefano Hospital, as detailed by our colleagues at Le Parisien on Monday. Doctors diagnosed him with "chronic schizophrenia" and decided to hospitalize him.

In an Italian document consulted by Le Parisien , the young man is described as having "fluent speech" and "preserved logic" , but with "partial reticence regarding recent events" . There is also talk of "auditory hallucinations" .

During his treatment at the Italian hospital, Olivier Hadzovic received antipsychotic treatment which is said to have reduced "hallucinatory experiences" .

After ten days, the alleged murderer "expressed a desire to return to France." His release is scheduled for Friday, May 9.

He was handed over to the French authorities in Menton shortly after 1 p.m. The handling was carried out by the Police and Customs Cooperation Center (CCPD) and the transfer by the RAID, as confirmed to Nice-Matin .