3 months ago
18
A man arrested for attacking
Comoros President
Azali Assoumani with a knife was found dead in his
prison cell
under unclear circumstances, authorities said on Saturday.
National prosecutor
Ali Mohamed Djounaid
said that the attacker, identified as 24-year-old soldier
Ahmed Abdou
, assaulted the president with a kitchen knife during a funeral for a prominent religious leader before being restrained and handed over to investigators.
Abdou also attacked a relative of the late religious leader. Assoumani sustained an injury to his hand following the attack.
The attacker was placed in an isolated cell to calm him down following his arrest, according to Djounaid.
"He (Abdou) was isolated in a cell so that he could calm down yesterday after his arrest. Investigators found his lifeless body lying on the floor this morning. A doctor declared him dead,"
Djounaid
said at a press conference attended by nearly all government officials and the governors of two of the Comoros archipelago's three islands.
Investigation underway
An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of Abdou's death in detention and the motive behind his attack. Prosecutor Djounaid said that Abdou had been handed over to investigators but "did not have time to question him" before his death. "An inquiry is underway into the reasons for the young man's attempt on the president's life. There will also be an inquiry into the circumstances of his death," he added.
President out of danger
The government officials have not disclosed details of the president's injuries, but said that he required "stitches to his scalp." "He has no health problems, he is out of danger. A few stitches were given," said
energy minister
Aboubacar Saïd Anli.
Government spokeswoman Fatima Ahamada also confirmed that 65-year-old Assoumani is at home and "doing very well."
Attacker's body returned to family
Abdou's body has been returned to his family for burial according to Muslim tradition. Authorities noted that Abdou was a member of the military police who had failed to return to his unit after a short leave on September 11.
Assoumani's presidential career
President Assoumani first took power in a
military coup
in 1999. After a decade out of office, he returned by winning a contested election in 2016 and was re-elected last January amid accusations of ballot stuffing and subsequent deadly protests. His tenure has faced criticism for increasing authoritarianism.
Assoumani also served as president of the
African Union
from 2023 to 2024.
