LYON, France — The Christian community and advocates of religious freedom worldwide have been shaken by the brutal killing of Ashur Sarnaya, a 45-year-old Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian Christian with special needs, who was attacked during a live broadcast on social media in front of his home in Lyon on Wednesday evening, 10 September 2025.

The Attack

According to RMC-BFM Lyon and Franceinfo, the killing occurred around 10:30 p.m. in the Gorge de Loup neighborhood of Lyon’s 9th arrondissement. Sarnaya, who used a wheelchair, was stabbed in the neck with a bladed weapon — likely a machete — while live-streaming on TikTok. He suffered cardiopulmonary arrest and died despite the rapid response of emergency services.

Three perpetrators, dressed in dark clothing with hoods, fled the scene immediately and remain unidentified.

Testimony from Family and Neighbors

Sarnaya’s sister described her brother as a man of faith: “He did live streams on TikTok to spread the word of God. He had no enemies, no problems with anyone.”

She recounted how she returned from shopping, alerted by friends who had been following the livestream, only to find him already dead on the ground, surrounded by police and firefighters.

Neighbors remembered him as “very discreet, decent, no problem.” Authorities confirmed he was unknown to police records and had no criminal background.

Persecuted Voice of Criticism

Sarnaya, originally from Ankawa, a Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian district of Arba’ilo (Erbil) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, was a familiar presence on TikTok. He frequently addressed religious issues and voiced sharp criticism of Islam and its radical movements.

In several broadcasts, he revealed he had received death threats, both through online comments and anonymous phone calls.

Sarnaya and his family had fled Iraq after the Islamic State (ISIS) overran large parts of the country, seeking safety in France. Yet, even in exile, security proved elusive. His persecutors appear to have tracked him down, targeting and killing him in public.

Official Response

The Lyon prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into intentional homicide. Officials have not yet assigned a definitive motive, noting that no conclusive evidence currently points to whether the killing was criminal, political, religious, or drug-related.

“This was a heinous crime,” said Mohamed Chihi, Lyon’s Deputy Mayor for Security Affairs. He voiced hope that investigators would “uncover the circumstances of the case as soon as possible.”

A Growing Pattern

Observers have compared Sarnaya’s murder to that of Salwan Momika, another Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian activist assassinated in Sweden after publicly burning Qurans and becoming a target of Muslims. Both men were exiled Christians persecuted for their criticism of Islam, silenced violently even in Europe.