MORONI, Sept 14 (Askume) – Comoros President Azali Assoumani is “out of danger” after a 24-year-old police officer stabbed him on Friday, leaving him injured. A day later, the officer’s body was found dead in his cell, officials said on Saturday.
The attack took place at about 2pm local time (1100 GMT) on Friday in Slimani Etsandra, a small town north of the capital Moroni .
“The president is in good condition. He has no health problems and is out of danger. He has received several stitches,” Energy Minister Abubakar Said al-Anali said at a news conference in Moroni on Saturday.
According to the president’s office, Azali was attacked while attending a funeral. The motive for the attack is unclear
The attacker, Ahmed Abdu, was on leave on Wednesday before planning the attack on Friday.
Abdul was detained and placed in a cell. However, Comoros government lawyer Ali Mohamed Junaid said in a separate press conference that “when investigators went looking for him on Saturday morning, they found him lying on the ground with a lifeless body.”
He said investigation was underway to ascertain the motive behind the attack and the cause of his death.
Assoumani was sworn in for a fourth term in January in a tense election that his opponents claimed was marred by voter fraud. Officials deny the allegations.
