French prime minister joins national tributes to beheaded teacher

French prosecutors have revealed that the killer of a teacher who shared cartoons of Muhammad posted online a photo of the man’s decapitated head after the murder.

Anti-terrorist prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard said that a text affirming responsibility and a photograph of the victim were found on the suspect’s phone. He also confirmed that a Twitter account by the name of Abdoulakh A belonged to the suspect. He posted a photo of the decapitated head minutes after the attack along with the message “I have executed one of the hellhounds who dared to bring down Muhammad.”

France’s prime minister joined protesters Sunday as they rallied across the country in tribute to Samuel Paty, the history teacher who was beheaded near Paris after discussing cartoons of Islam’s prophet Muhammad with his class.

The demonstrations came hours after US President Donald Trump sent a message of solidarity to France after the attack.

Paty was beheaded Friday at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine by an 18-year-old Moscow-born Chechen refugee who was shot and killed by police.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex joined citizens, associations and unions who demonstrated Sunday at the Place de la Republique in Paris in support of freedom of expression and in memory of the murdered 47-year-old teacher.

Some carried “I am Samuel” signs that echoed the “I am Charlie” rallying cry after the 2015 attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. A moment of silence was observed throughout the square, interrupted by applause and an enthusiastic performance of La Marseillaise, the French national anthem.

The protesters also gathered in major cities, such as Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Nantes, Marseille, Lille and Bordeaux.

Meanwhile, French authorities say they have arrested an 11th person after the murder.

Ricard said a murder investigation was opened on an alleged terrorist motive. At least four of those arrested are relatives of the attacker, who had been granted 10-year residence in France as a refugee in March, was armed with a knife and an airsoft pistol, which shoots plastic pellets.

His half sister joined the Islamic State group in Syria in 2014, Ricard said. He did not give his name and it was unclear where he is now.

The beheading has upset French moderate Muslims and a group of imams in the Lyon region will hold a special meeting on Sunday to discuss what the group called “the terrible murder of our compatriot by a terrorist who in the name of uncertain faith committed the irreparable “.

The head of the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation body has also condemned the killing. In a statement released Sunday by the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the office of the Secretary General, Yousef al-Othaimeen, reiterated the “well-known position of the OIC to reject all forms of extremism, radicalization and terrorism for any reason or reason”. .

The attack has provoked a strong international reprimand. Donald Trump addressed the murder Saturday night from a political rally in Janesville, Wisconsin.

“On behalf of the United States, I would like to extend my sincerest condolences to a friend of mine, President (Emmanuel) Macron of France, where yesterday they had a vicious and cruel Islamic terrorist attack: beheading an innocent professor near Paris”, He said. “France is having a hard time and Macron is a great guy.”

– AP