Garde-Colombe

Garde-Colombe is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department of southeastern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 and consists of the former communes of Eyguians, Lagrand and Saint-Genis.

WWW Official Site

History

2016 knife attack

The newly minted commune was the location of the 20 July 2016 knife attack on a mother and her three daughters at a local VVF Lagrand resort. The 8-year old was airlifted by helicopter to Grenoble because of a punctured lung. The perpetrator from Morocco, Mohamed Boufarkouch, shouted "Allah akbar" several times in jail. Boufarkouch, who has been on disability since 2009, was in Garde-Colombe with his two daughters and his pregnant wife. The prosecutor indicated that terrorism is not seen as a prime motivator, and indicated there were "no signs of religious radicalisation" and the suspect's practice of the Muslim religion "has been moderate."