MORONI, Comoros (AP) — The president of the Indian Ocean island nation of Comoros was "slightly injured" in a knife attack while attending the funeral of a religious leader on Friday, his office said. The suspect, who was identified as a 24-year-old male soldier, was then found dead in a police cell on Saturday.
President Azali Assoumani's injuries were not serious and he had returned to his home, his office said in a statement. It said the attacker was arrested by security forces and was taken into custody, but authorities said he had been discovered a day later “unresponsive” in a cell where he was being held and was declared dead.
The suspect was identified as Ahmed Abdou. Public prosecutor Ali Mohamed Djounaid said Abdou had attacked Assoumani with a kitchen knife at the funeral. A civilian was also injured during the attack while attempting to protect the president, government minister Aboubacar Said Anli said.
The attack happened in the town of Salimani on the outskirts of the capital Moroni.
"The president’s security agents immediately subdued the young man and handed him over to investigators,” public prosecutor Djounaid told reporters. He said an investigation was underway into the attacker's motive and the circumstances of his death while in custody.
Assoumani was reelected as president of Comoros in January in a vote denounced by opposition parties as fraudulent. At least one person died in unrest following the election. The country, which is made up of an archipelago of islands off the east coast of Africa, has experienced more than a dozen coups or attempted coups since independence from France in 1975.
Assoumani, 65, is a former military officer who first came to power in a coup in 1999. He served a first term as president from 2002 - 2006 and was elected again in 2016.
He has been the leader since and extended his presidency into a fourth term this year after changing the constitution to remove term limits and abolishing a system that saw the presidency rotated between Comoros' three main islands. He has been accused of cracking down on dissent and banning peaceful protests.
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
FILE - Comoros' President Azali Assoumani waves as he is escorted by Chinese officials upon arrival at the Beijing Capital International Airport, in Beijing, on Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool, File)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Jake Sanderson scored 15 seconds into overtime and the Ottawa Senators stretched their win streak to six games with a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.
It’s the first time since March 2017 that Ottawa has won six in a row.
Shane Pinto scored twice for the Senators, Claude Giroux added a goal and Josh Norris scored short-handed. Sanderson also contributed a pair of assists.
Leevi Merilainen stopped 21 shots to earn his first NHL victory.
Brock Boeser scored twice for the Canucks, and Quinn Hughes had a goal and two assists. Jake DeBrusk rounded out the scoring for a Vancouver side that lost its third straight outing (0-1-2). Kevin Lankinen made 17 saves.
Canucks: The team has lost four of its last five outings and some of its top stars have gone cold offensively. J.T. Miller has not scored in the six games he’s played since returning from a 10-game absence, Elias Pettersson does not have a point in his last six outings and Conor Garland last recorded a goal on Nov. 29.
Senators: Merilainen stepped in for Linus Ullmark, who has been a superstar for Ottawa in recent weeks. Heading into Saturday, Ullmark had powered the team to five straight victories after backup Anton Forsberg went down with an injury during a pre-game skate on Dec. 14.
Boeser knotted the score at 4 with 4:50 left in the game when he blasted a rebound past Merilainen.
Hughes now has 40 points on the season (eight goals, 32 assists). He is the seventh defenseman in NHL history to hit the mark in 33 or fewer games in multiple seasons.
The Senators visit the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, and the Canucks host the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Ottawa Senators' Jake Sanderson (85) scores on Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko (35) during overtime of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
Ottawa Senators goaltender Leevi Merilainen (1) stops the puck against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Brock Boeser, right, celebrates his goal against the Ottawa Senators with Quinn Hughes (43) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
Ottawa Senators' Jake Sanderson (85) celebrates his game-winning goal with Brady Tkachuk (7) after overtime of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
