France Parliament honours Muslim worshiper killed in mosque attack

The French Parliament observed a minute of silence, Tuesday, for Aboubakar Cisse, who was fatally stabbed at a mosque last week in the southern Gard region, according to broadcaster, BFMTV.

The tribute was announced earlier by National Assembly President, Yael Braun-Pivet, who described the killing as a “cowardly assassination” that “shocked the nation”, Anadolu Agency reports.

Braun-Pivet said the decision to hold the tribute was made following consultations with several parliamentary group leaders, despite the absence of an initial consensus.

She emphasized the importance of marking the moment “with sobriety and dignity”, citing widespread public emotion and the need to counter the “vile exploitation” of Cisse’s death.

The tribute took place shortly after 3 pm, local time (1300GMT).

It came amid political tensions. Mathilde Panot, leader of the La France Insoumise (LFI) group, said Braun-Pivet had initially rejected the proposal, citing pressure from the far-right Rassemblement National (RN).

“The minute of silence in honour of Aboubakar Cisse will take place despite the initial refusal by the Assembly President and Le Pen. We did not give up. It is our honour that the national representation does not trivialise such a grave Islamophobic crime,” Panot wrote on X.

According to a participant in the conference of group leaders, RN head, Marine Le Pen, warned against the “instrumentalisation” of the tribute by left-wing parties, highlighting that minutes of silence are typically reserved in cases with unanimous agreement.

The suspected attacker, identified as Olivier H., a French citizen of Bosnian origin born in 2004, surrendered to authorities late Sunday at a police station in Italy after spending days on the run, according to Franceinfo.

He was taken into custody, and extradition proceedings are ongoing to return him to France.

Authorities said the 24-year-old victim, a Malian national, was stabbed between 40 and 50 times while praying inside the mosque early Friday.

READ: Al-Azhar condemns fatal stabbing of Muslim worshipper in France