French President Says Pro-Hamas Group Connected to Beheading of Teacher

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on October 20 that a pro-Hamas group is connected to the recent beheading of a Paris history teacher.

The suspect behind the beheading, which occurred on October 18, has been reportedly identified as 18-year-old Abdullakh Anzorov, a Chechen. Police shot and killed Anzorov following the beheading, as Anzorov reportedly attempted to attack police while shouting, “Allahu Akbar!” Police said that they found a video on Anzorov’s phone of him confessing to the killing.

The victim, identified as 47-year-old Samuel Paty, had recently showed a cartoon of the Islamic prophet Muhammad to his history class as part of a discussion on freedom of speech. The Associated Press reported that, according to Macron, the group Collective Cheikh Yassine has been “directly implicated” in the attack and will be dissolved on October 21. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told Europe 1 radio that the group “apparently launched a fatwa against [Paty].”

According to The Times of Israel, the Collective Cheikh Yassine is named after Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, one of the founders of Hamas.

The father of one of Paty’s students had lambasted Paty on social media for showing the cartoon, sharing Paty’s name as well as the address of the school. The father called for Paty to be fired.

The Collective Cheikh Yassine shared the father’s post, as did a mosque in a Paris suburb. Consequently, the French government is shutting down the mosque for six months.

The Collective Cheikh Yassine shared the father’s post, as did a mosque in a Paris suburb. Consequently, the French government is shutting down the mosque for six months.

A total of 16 people were initially detained for the beheading; at least six have since been released, according to the Associated Press. Macron has vowed to wage war against “Islamic separatism” in the country.

Dr. Arié Bensemhoun, CEO of the European Leadership Network (ELNET)-France, said in a statement to the Journal, “The beheading of Samuel Paty sparked a tsunami of powerful reactions and shock throughout France, from ordinary citizens to the President of the Republic. It seems that this time around, after two decades of procrastination, our society is finally ready to lead the fight against radical Islamist ideology. There is a collective awareness that we must take the necessary steps — that we have called for over many years — to confront this threat.”