A man was fatally stabbed on Friday morning inside the grounds of the Grand Combe mosque. His body was discovered around 11:30 AM during prayer time, while the suspect remains at large. According to Ici, the public prosecutor in Alès, Abdelkrim Grini, stated that the two men were alone in the mosque early in the morning when the victim was attacked during the morning prayer, sustaining dozens of stab wounds. A murder investigation has been opened and assigned to the Nîmes research section, with support from the Alès research brigade. A man was brutally murdered this morning in the Grand Combe mosque. I hope the investigation will quickly apprehend the perpetrator and shed light on this horrific event. I want to express my support to the victim's family and my solidarity with the… — Bruno Retailleau (@BrunoRetailleau) April 25, 2025 Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau called for the investigation to swiftly apprehend the perpetrator and clarify the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. On X (formerly Twitter), he also expressed solidarity with the Muslim community, «affected by this barbaric act of violence, in their place of worship, on the day of the grand prayer». Media outlets note that this is the fourth murder in three weeks in the Alès area. The suspects in the killings in Saint-Martin-de-Valgalgues and Saint-Christol-lès-Alès have been charged with murder and placed in pre-trial detention. A third suspect, involved in another case, was arrested in Spain and is awaiting extradition to France.
