Suspect in fatal French mosque attack turns himself in to police in Italy

Authorities announced on Monday that the suspect in the stabbing at a mosque in southern France has turned himself in to police in Italy.

The attack occurred on Friday in La Grande-Combe, a former mining town in southern France. The suspect fatally stabbed a Muslim worshipper, aged 23 or 24, while he was praying inside the mosque. Local media reported that the assailant filmed the attack and later shared footage of himself waving a knife and shouting blasphemous slurs.

The French Ministry of the Interior confirmed that the suspect voluntarily surrendered to Italian authorities, although no further details were provided.

Local prosecutor Abdel Karim Grini said investigators are focusing on "Islamophobia" as the primary motive, but other possibilities are also being explored. The suspect, born in 2004, lived in the area and had no criminal record.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack, stressing that "racism and religious hatred have no place in France; religious freedom is sacred."

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau visited La Grande-Combe on Sunday, where the attack took place. He met with religious leaders and confirmed that the suspect had made anti-Muslim comments and expressed a desire to kill others.

A march was held in La Grande-Combe in solidarity with the victim, while a demonstration against Islamophobia took place in Paris. The French Council of the Muslim Faith has called for a national plan to protect Islamic places of worship.