Gérald Darmanin asked the prefects to strengthen the surveillance of places of worship for the feast of the Assumption. The priest’s funeral will take place on Friday in the presence of the Keeper of the Seals.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Thursday asked the prefects to “significantly strengthen the surveillance of places of worship and offices” scheduled for Sunday for the feast of the Assumption, “in the context of the murder of Father Olivier Maire” on Monday .
“The persistence of a high level of terrorist threat against our country and recent events require special attention on symbolic sites or which bring together many people in this period”, writes the Minister of the Interior in a telegram consulted by AFP.
The prefects are invited to contact the representatives of the places of worship “in order to identify the most sensitive sites, to know the places and times of the ceremonies, and thus to define the protective measures to be implemented”. The soldiers of the Sentinel force “could usefully be mobilized” and “must be dissuasive and visible”, supports Gerald Darmanin.
The priest’s funeral celebrated on Friday
Father Olivier Maire was killed Monday by a 40-year-old Rwandan, described as psychologically unstable, whom he hosted in the Montfortian community.
The priest’s funeral will take place on Friday at 2:30 p.m. at the basilica of Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, in the presence of the Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti who will represent the government there, we learned from his entourage.
The suspect, Emmanuel Abayisenga, is also the alleged arsonist in July 2020 of Nantes cathedral, where he was a volunteer in the parish. He was hospitalized on Monday evening after a psychiatric examination concluded that his mental state was incompatible with a custody measure.
