A man has been arrested in France after being found with his father’s decapitated head in one hand and the knife that was presumably used to remove it in the other, police near the Lyon suburb of Saint-Priest say.
The horrific incident began when police found the father’s body in a parking lot over the weekend. Locals had reported witnessing a heated debate among the family members and the son chasing his father around with a large knife.
Witnesses say the assailant yelled “Allah Akbar,” or God is Great, which has been traditionally linked to terrorist attacks, but the police have determined that the incident was a family feud, according to ActuLyon news site.
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Police then followed a trail of blood to where the son, 25, was standing with undeniable evidence. Police say they struggled with the son to detain him.
The weekend attack was carried out by a local Moroccan man known to police for petty crimes and drug charges.
“I am terribly shocked by this abominable intra-family drama that took place in our city. What society do we live in? How can we come to such acts?” Saint-Priest Mayor Gilles Gascon said. “I would like to thank our municipal and national police for their rapid intervention and the preponderance of our video surveillance center.”
It is not the first time the small Lyon suburb has been the site of such a heinous crime. In 2013, an elderly woman was found in her bathroom with her head on the floor. In 2020, another elderly woman was beaten to death by her son just blocks away from where the latest crime took place. And in 2015, a businessman was beheaded by an employee in what was determined to be an Islamic terrorist attack.
