French far-right extremist targets Bayonne mosque to avenge Notre Dame fire - prosecutor
The man suspected of a gun attack on a French mosque has told investigators he was seeking revenge for the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
- World
- AP
- Published Date: 08:15 | 29 October 2019
- Modified Date: 10:00 | 29 October 2019
A French prosecutor says the suspected gunman at Monday's mosque shooting is being sent to a psychiatric doctor to assess his mental health, and the incident is not being handled as terrorism.
Marc Mariee said Tuesday the suspect, who had far-right links in the past, told police he carried out a gun attack at a mosque to "avenge the destruction at Notre Dame (cathedral)," which he blamed on Muslims. The suspect didn't provide evidence.
The cause of April's Notre Dame fire remains unknown. French officials have ruled criminal and terror-related motives, but conspiracy theorists are spreading misinformation about the origins.
Two elderly men, aged 74 and 78, were injured in this week's non-fatal gun attack in the southwestern French city of Bayonne.
Mariee said both men not in life-threatening condition.