French Mosque Fire Is Arson, Hollande Says, As Anti-Muslim Crimes On The Rise In France

A fire that destroyed most of a mosque in southern France this past weekend was deemed arson by the French government Monday.

By Jess McHugh, published on International Business Times August 25, 2015

French President François Hollande condemned the crime in an official statement released Monday, saying the actions of the perpetrators went against the "values of the [French] Republic."

The arson in the mosque in Auch, near Toulouse, occurred Saturday, just one day after a heavily armed man attacked a high-speed Thalys train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris in what authorities believe was a terrorist act. The assailant, Ayoub El Khazzani, 25, was wrestled to the ground Friday by several bystanders, including U.S. servicemen, after he boarded the train armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a Luger automatic pistol and a box cutter... Read more.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/french-mosque-fire-arson-hollande-says-anti-muslim-crimes-rise-france-2067391