Lyon, France, November 2, 2020
Photo: premierchristian.news An initial suspect in the shooting of a Greek Orthodox priest in Lyon, France, was released by French police on Sunday. The search continues for the man who shot Fr. Nikolaos Kakavelakis, 52, outside Holy Annunciation Church on Saturday afternoon.
The priest was shot twice in the liver with a sawed-off shotgun as he was locking up at the church and is in critical condition in the hospital. He is married with two children. The assailant was seen fleeing the scene.
Against the background of a recent swath of deadly terrorist attacks in France, it was initially believed that Fr. Nikolaos was also the victim of a terrorist attack, and it was reported that the shooter had allegedly yelled “Allahu akhbar.” However, police later took one of Father’s own parishioners, the former monk Jean-Michel Dhimoïla, into custody, the Pappas Post reported yesterday.
Dhimoila, a former far-right legislative candidate, has had a longstanding personal conflict with Fr. Nikolaos and was earlier convicted of defamation. However, police found no evidence of his involvement in the shooting and was released, reports the AP.
The Guardian reports that Fr. Nikolaos was conscious as he was being carried to the ambulance and reported that he did not know the man who shot him.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear, and the police continue to work the attempted murder investigation. Anti-terrorism prosecutors are not currently investigating the case, the AP reports.
Christos Koutsiouris, a member of the board of the Greek community Lyon, earlier told reporters: “I do not know who committed this crime. All I know is that last Sunday Fr. Nikolaos told me that he was jogging on the banks of the Rhone and that five Algerians or Moroccans surrounded him, made fun of him and in the end beat him and took his cross. He was very scared because he had money and a phone on him and let them go. Maybe they have stigmatized him since then.”
The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of France wished Fr. Nikolaos a speedy recovery and “unequivocally condemn[ed] all forms of violence.” The diocese also reported that he was scheduled to return to Greece soon, having completed his time in Lyon.
