French far-rightist, 84, charged in mosque shooting

BAYONNE, France — An octogenarian accused of wounding two men in a shooting at a mosque in southern France has been charged and ordered held in detention, the prosecutor’s office says.

Claude Sinke, who stood as a candidate for the far-right National Rally in 2015 regional elections, tried to set fire to a mosque in Bayonne in the southwest on Monday, and shot two men, aged 74 and 78, who came out to investigate.

On Tuesday, investigators said the 84-year-old had wanted to avenge the burning of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris in April, which he blamed on Muslims.

They said there were questions about his mental health.

The prosecutor’s office says in a statement that Sinke, who risks life imprisonment, is now being held on attempted murder, arson, and gun violence charges. Being charged does not necessarily mean a suspect will go to trial.

Monday’s attack further unsettled France, already engulfed in a sometimes bitter debate about the observance of Islam in the secular country.

The shooting came just hours after President Emmanuel Macron had urged Muslims to step up the fight against what he called Islamic “separatism.”

Investigators have said the Notre Dame fire was an accident. There has never been any suggestion of arson.

Sinke was put through two days of psychological tests to determine whether he understood what he had done and can be put on trial for acting with intent.

He has admitted the crimes, investigators say.

His victims, one of whom was hit in the neck and the other in the chest, were in a stable condition in hospital, local authorities said Tuesday.

— AFP