Hollande visits main Paris mosque, a year after Charlie Hebdo attack

AFP , Sunday 10 Jan 2016

Hollande
French President Francois Hollande pays tribute to the victims of the Paris terror attacks during a visit to the French anti-terror security forces (Sentinelle) at the police headquarters, in Paris, on January 7, 2016 (Photo: AFP)

French President Francois Hollande made an unannounced visit to the main mosque in Paris on Sunday, a year after Islamist militant attacks in the French capital.

"The president had a short conversation and a moment of friendship and fraternity over a cup of tea," a French presidency official said.

Earlier, Hollande attended a low-key event to mark a year since 1.5 million people thronged Paris in a show of unity following the shootings at Charlie Hebdo newspaper and a Jewish supermarket.

Mosques across France opened their doors to the public this weekend in a bid by the Muslim community to build bridges following a series of Islamist militant attacks that rocked France in 2015.

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