Along the Gardon, the river that runs through the town of La Grand-Combe in the south of France, a crowd gathered to reach the Khadidja mosque. It was nearly 2 pm on Sunday, April 27, and all were assembled to pay a final tribute to Aboubakar Cissé, the 22-year-old man brutally killed Friday morning with multiple stab wounds inside the place of worship by a man who filmed his act. Originally from Mali, Cissé had arrived in La Grand-Combe a few years earlier and was accustomed to going to the mosque early on Friday mornings to clean.

In this town of 5,000 inhabitants, the attack shocked the entire population. Forty-eight hours after the incident, the alleged perpetrator, Olivier A., born in Lyon with no prior criminal record, had still not been found at the time of the gathering. He turned himself in at a police station in Italy on Sunday evening.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau visited the area to meet with investigators. The prosecutor of Alès, Abdelkrim Grini, told Agence France-Presse on Saturday that the suspect was "potentially extremely dangerous" and had "expressed his intention to repeat his actions" in his video. The minister stated he had sent an instruction "to all prefects to ensure all mosques in France receive increased protection." However, the law enforcement presence remained discreet in La Grand-Combe, with only a few gendarmerie cars patrolling.

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