Comoros president wounded in a knife attack, the president's office says
Comoros President Azali Assoumani, 65, was "slightly wounded" in a knife attack on Friday while attending a funeral, the president's office said in a statement. “His injuries are not serious, and he has returned home," the statement added. Azali, a former military ruler who came to power in a coup in 1999, was reelected president for a third consecutive term in January after a disputed vote which his opponents said was marred by fraud.
Comoros President Azali Assoumani was slightly wounded in a knife attack Friday, the presidency said, adding that the attacker had been arrested.
“The President of the Republic Azali Assoumani was slightly wounded by a knife while attending the funeral” of a well-known religious leader, it said in a statement.
“His injuries are not serious, and he has returned home. The attacker is in the hands of the security services,” it added.
Government spokeswoman Fatima Ahamadael told AFP that the attack happened in Salimani-Itsandra, an area on the outskirts of the capital Moroni.
“Thank God, his life is not in danger,” she said, declining to give further details.
Witnesses told AFP that the attacker was a 22-year-old with no criminal history, who had joined the army in 2022. He was dressed in a boubou, and was in the room with the religious leader’s body, as mourners were paying respects, they said.
The knife injured the president’s hand, but the attacker was stopped by another mourner, the witnesses said.
No other details were immediately available.
(AFP)
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