LA GRAND-COMBE: France's President Emmanuel Macron lashed out Sunday against "racism and hatred" after the brutal stabbing to death of a Muslim in a mosque in the south of the country.Officials said the attacker, who is on the run, stabbed Aboubakar Cisse, a young Malian in his early 20s, dozens of times and then filmed him with a mobile phone while shouting insults at Islam.The attack in the village of La Grand-Combe in the Gard region was the latest in a series of deadly stabbings in France in recent years.

It shocked the country's leaders, with Macron finally speaking out on X on Sunday."Racism and hatred based on religion can have no place in France. Freedom of worship cannot be violated," he wrote, offering support to "our fellow Muslim citizens."French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou earlier branded it an "Islamophobic atrocity" – although the prosecutor in the case emphasised that Islamophobia is just one of the motives being considered.France increased mosque security after a worshipper was killed in La Grand-Combe. A Bosnian-origin, non-Muslim French citizen, Olivier A., is the suspect, having filmed the attack. While Islamophobia is a lead motive, others are possible. The Muslim and Jewish councils condemned the crime. Authorities stressed the urgent need to apprehend the "dangerous" suspect.