The man who killed three people in a knife attack at a church in Nice on the French Riviera in France on Thursday was named Brahim Aouissaoui, a 21-year-old Tunisian migrant
Aouissaoui arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa at the end of September, when the authorities placed him in quarantine for coronavirus before releasing him with the order to leave Italian territory He arrived in France in early October, sources close to the investigation told AFP.
French authorities say that Aouissaoui had no identity papers with him when police shot him after the attack, but that he was carrying a document giving his name from the Red Cross Italian He had made no request for political asylum in France
Sicilian prosecutors confirmed to the Guardian that Aouissaoui arrived in Lampedusa on September 20, then spent 14 days on a quarantine boat before being transferred to Bari on the mainland on October 9
The high number of arrivals from Tunisia means that repatriation procedures from Italy are often delayed Instead, Tunisians frequently receive an « exit slip », requiring them to leave Italy within seven days Aouissaoui had received such an order but, like many, went illegally to France
Sicilian prosecutors also confirmed that Aouissaoui had no papers with him and said a photo of him made public by French police matched the one in their possession
According to the magistrates, « the current and most probable hypothesis » is that he went to Lampedusa on board a small boat
Europol said in a report earlier this year that there was no sign of systematic use of ‘irregular migration’ by terrorist organizations
A UN committee of experts, however, has said that the arrest of nine Syrians, an Egyptian and a Turkmen in Cyprus in May 2020, all linked to either Isis or to groups affiliated with Al Qaeda , showed that potential terrorists could resort to illegal migration routes to reach Europe
Matteo Salvini, former far-right Italian interior minister, said if Aouissaoui’s reports landed in Lampedusa were confirmed, the current interior minister, Luciana Lamorgese, would have to resign or be sacked
Tunisia, France
News from around the world – GB – Church attacker from Nice identified as 21-year-old Tunisian
