Tuesday, 22 November 2005Two Molotov cocktails damaged the annex to a mosque in eastern France on Sunday, and police were investigating whether the attack was linked to three weeks of urban unrest that has spread across the country.
The prayer room of the Grand-Charmont Mosque near Montbeliard, in the Franche Comte region, wasn't hit by the firebombs, made from two gasoline-filled bottles, Prosecutor Francois Pucheus said.
The mosque is located in Fougeres, a low-income area considered sensitive by authorities. Such suburbs and towns were the scenes of unrest, particularly arson attacks, for three weeks starting on Oct. 27.
Several cars and a carpentry shop were burned in the mosque's vicinity about 10 days ago.
Over a three-week period, youths torched 9,070 vehicles in nightly rioting that left 126 police officers injured, the Interior Ministry said. At its worst, the rioting spread to nearly 300 towns and cities. Several mosques were attacked, as well as churches and a synagogue.
The New Anatolian with AP / Montbeliard
|
Tuesday, 22 November 2005
France
|
|
