Comoros President Azali Assoumani was injured in a knife attack, authorities have confirmed.
“Thank God, his life is not in danger,” said government spokeswoman Fatima Ahamada.
The incident had taken place while President Azali was attending the funeral of a religious leader near the capital Moroni. According to Ahamada, the president suffered only a slight injury and has gone home.
“The attacker has been arrested,” said Ahamada. For now, motives behind the attack are not known.
Reports suggest that the assailant may be a young military officer, although his identity is not officially confirmed.
Witnesses said the suspect was in the room where mourners were paying respects to the deceased and described him as a man dressed in a robe. They also described how they watched the attacker wound the president’s hand with a knife before one of the mourners intervened and prevented him from continuing the attack.
President Azali first seized power in a 1999 military coup. He won back the presidency a decade later in a disputed election in 2016.
He won re-election to another five-year term in a contentious vote earlier this year where ballot stuffing was claimed. Two days of violent protests broke out after the election, culminating in clashes that left people dead.
Recently, President Azali has come under increasing criticism over his leadership from opposition groups, which say he is developing strongman tendencies.
