The suspect shooter of the Greek Orthodox priest in Lyon has been released from custody.
French prosecutors said the man is homeless and “the doctor who examined him decided that he should be taken to a psychiatric clinic.”
The prosecutors office also said “there is no evidence” that the man was involved in the shooting.
Fake news published in French media alleged that the suspect was a Far Right political candidate and former Greek Orthodox monk.
However, French police today released the suspect and widened their search for the gunman who critically wounded Father Nikolaos Kakavelakis with two shots.
Christos Koutsiouris, a board member of the Greek community of Lyon and for a number of years a chanter in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, where Kakavelakis is a priest, said “I do not understand why they talk about personal differences,” in relation to speculation the shooting was perpetrated by a disgruntled member of Lyon’s Greek Orthodox community.
“I do not know who committed this crime. What I do know is that last Sunday Father Nikolaos told me that he was jogging on the banks of the Rhône and that five Algerians or Moroccans surrounded him, made fun of him, and in the end beat him and took his cross,” Koutsiouris also revealed, as reported by Greek City Times.
The Greek Orthodox Holy Diocese of France said “We pray for a speedy recovery and unequivocally condemn all forms of violence.”
