French prosecutors have ruled out terrorism in the brutal stabbing of 22-year-old Malian man Aboubakar Cisse inside a mosque in La Grand-Combe, saying the suspect acted on a disturbing personal compulsion to kill.

The suspect, 20-year-old French national Olivier Hadzovic of Bosnian origin, allegedly stabbed Cisse 57 times and recorded the aftermath before fleeing to Italy, where he later surrendered. He is now awaiting extradition to France.

Prosecutor Cécile Gensac stated that Hadzovic was driven by an obsessive desire to kill and possibly commit suicide, with no ideological or terrorist motive identified. The suspect had frequently viewed violent content online and reportedly targeted Cisse based on his race after entering the mosque.

Cisse, a well-liked and quiet migrant from Mali who had been in France since 2018, was known for helping clean the mosque and sharing what little he had with others.

The suspect's father called his son “crazy” and apologized to the victim’s family, while the victim’s lawyer has called for the killing to be reclassified as a terrorist act, stressing equal treatment for the Muslim community.