Accessibility links

Breaking News

Comoros president slightly injured in knife attack, spokesperson says


FILE - Comoros' President Azali Assoumani attends a news conference in Berlin, Germany, Nov. 20, 2023.
FILE - Comoros' President Azali Assoumani attends a news conference in Berlin, Germany, Nov. 20, 2023.

Comoros President Azali Assoumani was slightly injured in a knife attack on Friday, the archipelago nation's government spokesperson said, adding that the attacker has been taken into custody.

The incident occurred around 2 p.m. local time in Salimani Itsandra, a town just north of the capital, Moroni, a local source told Reuters.

"President Azali Assoumani was slightly injured with a knife during the funeral of a great sheik of the country. His injuries are not serious, and he has returned home," government spokesperson Fatima Ahamada told Reuters.

The motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

The source from the town of Salimani Itsandra added that the attacker is a former policeman in his 20s.

In May, Assoumani was sworn in for a fourth term in office following a tense January election which his opponents claim was tainted by voter fraud.

  • 16x9 Image

    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

XS
SM
MD
LG