President Ghazali Osmani was lightly wounded in a knife attack on Friday, the Comorian government said, adding that the attacker, a former policeman in his 20s whose motives are not yet known, had been taken into custody.

“The head of state was attacked in Suleiman-Estandra, the area adjacent to Moroni,” in the highlands of the archipelago’s capital, government spokeswoman Fatima Ahmeda said.
A source close to the presidency, who asked not to be named, said that “the president was slightly injured with a knife during a funeral ceremony,” adding that “his injuries are not serious” and that the two assailants have been arrested.

Two other sources close to the presidency confirmed that Osmani’s injury was minor. A person attacked the president with a white weapon,” another source close to Osmani said on condition of anonymity, adding that Osmani was “slightly injured,” without providing further details.