Abdallah Ahmed-Osman was a Sudanese national who arrived in Europe as part of the migrant crisis and was granted refugee status in France in 2017, along with a 10-year residence permit. He was around 33 years old at the time of the attack in 2020.

Relatively little is known about Ahmed-Osman’s life before arriving in France. Like many refugees fleeing conflict zones, he sought asylum and was able to settle legally in the country. He was described as quiet by some who encountered him in the town of Romans-sur-Isère, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France.

On the late morning of 4 April 2020, as France was under strict COVID-19 lockdown, Abdallah Ahmed-Osman carried out a stabbing spree in the town of Romans-sur-Isère. He first entered a tobacco shop, where he attacked the two owners and a customer, stabbing and wounding them. From there, he moved into a butcher’s shop, where he seized another knife and fatally stabbed a customer.

Continuing his rampage, Ahmed-Osman targeted a local theatre owner who was out with his 12-year-old son. The man died from his injuries while shielding his child from the attack. Ahmed-Osman then moved toward a bakery, where he wounded two more individuals waiting in line outside.

In total, two people were killed and five others injured during the attack. Witnesses reported hearing him shout “Allahu Akbar” during the stabbings, reinforcing suspicions of terrorist motivation.

When police apprehended him, Ahmed-Osman reportedly knelt on the ground and recited the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith. He was arrested without being killed or injured during the operation. 

A terrorism investigation was immediately launched by French authorities. Just four days later, on 8 April 2020, prosecutors formally indicted him for “assassinations and attempted assassinations in connection with a terrorist group.”

The attack drew widespread condemnation across France and abroad. It took place at a time when the nation was already on edge due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and it deepened fears about radicalized individuals embedded in communities across Europe. As of the last available reporting, Ahmed-Osman remains in custody, facing trial for his crimes.