A Sudanese refugee kills a French immigration official

The authorities said that a Sudanese refugee stabbed the director of a center for asylum seekers in the city of Pau, southern France, and killed him on Friday after his request for political asylum was rejected.

A police source said that the Sudanese asylum seeker killed the director of the center by stabbing him repeatedly in the neck.

The source said the attacker arrived in France five years ago and committed knife violence in 2017.

"This is a terrible tragedy, especially because the victim spent his entire career helping immigrants and asylum seekers," Pau mayor Francois Bayrou told Radio France Bleu.

"The man's asylum request was rejected for good reasons. The man turned against the director of the center. This is severe violence and absurdity," he added, adding that the suspect had previously spent time in prison.

The police source stated that the attacker's request for political asylum was rejected, but it was not clear if this was the motive behind the killing.

It was also not clear if the director of the center informed him of the rejection of his request this Friday morning.

French media reported that the assailant was arrested.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanan went to the asylum seekers' center in the city and is expected to speak to reporters later in the day.

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