Under the title "Mentally Disturbed Individual Kills Imam During Worship in an Incident That Shocked Algeria," Al Arabiya News reported on the murder of a mosque imam while he was leading prayers on Thursday in Algeria. The site noted that the Directorate of Religious Affairs of Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, issued a statement via its Facebook account regarding the killing of volunteer Imam Bilal Hamoudi at Tariq ibn Ziyad Mosque located in Makira.
The statement read, "The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments received the tragic report of the attack on Imam Bilal Hamoudi with great pain and sorrow for the loss of a martyr while in prayer, in blessed days. While the ministry condemns this heinous act, it is committed to judicial follow-up and monitoring of the case step by step. The ministry assures the respected family of its full support during this difficult time, as one of our loyal volunteers devoted to the mosque's message, with admirable character and continuous service to God's house and its patrons, has fallen victim."
The statement also recalled that the mosque community has suffered this loss and is deeply pained, despite the efforts made to protect imams from all forms of assault, which have now become criminalized by law, serving as the legal basis for specialized authorities to address such cases. It affirmed that this step is a building block in the pursuit of enhancing the care and protection system for the bearers of revelation and heirs of prophecy, alongside the protection that the authentic Algerian community provides to the sacred status of the imam in the hearts of citizens. "May God have mercy on the deceased and grant him a spacious abode in paradise, and inspire his family and loved ones, as well as the mosque community, with beautiful patience and solace."
According to the statement, "The victim, Bilal Hamoudi, was killed while leading the afternoon prayers for the congregation, and the perpetrator is mentally disturbed." The statement added that "the attacker had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital multiple times, according to testimonies from citizens and mosque attendees, and is now in the custody of the gendarmerie, which has commenced investigations to uncover the circumstances of the crime."
It is noted that the deceased held a volunteer license from the Directorate of Religious Affairs and Endowments and graduated from the Faculty of Islamic Sciences in Khrouba, Algiers.
