The head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, has condemned the decapitation attack in a Parisian suburb and extended his condolences to the family of the victim.
In a message posted on his Telegram channel, Kadyrov said that he strongly rejects any manifestations of terrorism, yet urges against hurting people's religious sentiments.
Kadyrov urged French investigators not to seek a "Chechen trace" in the attack, stressing that the assailant had spent most of his life in France and was likely radicalised there.
"This is not the first time France has tried to shift the blame for all of their problems on Chechens. Rest assured, Chechens have nothing to do with it", Kadyrov emphasised, adding that a criminal has no nationality.
A history teacher was beheaded on Friday night on the outskirts of Paris by a teenager of Chechen origin Abdullah Anzorov. The victim reportedly taught freedom of speech and showed caricatures depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad to his students earlier in October.
The police chased down and shot the main suspect to death. The attacker was born in Moscow in 2002, was of Chechen origin and received refugee status in France in 2008, according to France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard.
