Paris: Over the serious incident of decapitated pig heads found outside Mosques in France’s Ile-de-France region earlier this week, the nation’s administration suspects foreign nationals. According to France, the culprits fled the country after the acts, Anadolu Agency reported.
The desecration of mosques happened overnight on September 9 in Paris, Malakoff, Montreuil, Montrogue and Gentilly.
Prosecutors said that the culprits had only one intention, which was to provoke unrest inside France.
The pig heads, found outside nine mosques in the area, carried the name of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Meanwhile, a farmer from Normandy told investigators that he had sold some 10 pig heads to two men, and their vehicle carried Serbian license plates. It is learned that the same car was caught in CCTV footage where two men were leaving pig heads outside mosques.
According to investigators, the culprits must have used a Croatian telephone line. One such line was tracked crossing the French-Belgian border early on Tuesday, shortly after the desecrations.
President Emmanuel Macron expressed his support for Muslim leaders following the incident. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo responded by calling it a racist act, and legal action had been initiated. Interior Minister Bruno Retailo said it was an unacceptable incident. He added that Muslims should be able to practice their faith in peace. Shamsuddin Hafiz, the imam of the Grand Mosque of Paris, said it was a new phase in the growth of Islamophobia.
According to the French Interior Ministry's own figures, anti-Muslim incidents in France have increased by 75 per cent compared to last year. Attacks against Muslims have also tripled.