"Good-natured, helpful and good father", who was Lino Sousa Loureiro, the victim of the terrorist attack in Mulhouse?

He was 69 years old and was shopping a few meters from his home when he was stabbed to death by Brahim A. , an Algerian Islamist terrorist, illegal, this Saturday in Mulhouse. Originally from Ermesinde, a town located 12 kilometers northeast of Porto, Lino Sousa Loureiro emigrated to France in 1992. Married to an Algerian woman and father of two children, he settled in Alsace to work in construction.

At the time of the incident, the sixty-year-old retiree was shopping at the Canal market, where the attack took place. He was struck in the chest by the assailant, who had just seriously injured two parking attendants with a knife. The suspect, the subject of an OQTF , was registered in the file for processing reports for the prevention of radicalization of a terrorist nature (FSPRT) and had already been convicted by the French courts.

The pensioner was an active member of the Association of Portuguese of Mulhouse, chaired by Armindo Mendes, one of his friends. In this community, he leaves behind an immense void and the memory of a generous, kind and helpful man. His loved ones, upset by his death, struggle to find the words.

Also read: "In his head, it wasn't all square": after the attack in Mulhouse, residents between fear and anger

That day, Lino Sousa Loureiro planned to meet one of his colleagues from the association, who ultimately cancelled the meeting. “ So he decided to go to the market ,” a relative who prefers to remain anonymous told Le Figaro . While some Internet users have said on social media that the pensioner had placed himself between the attacker and two parking attendants, his family denies this version and explains that he “was walking around the market and crossed paths with the attacker” . “He was rescued by a young girl while waiting for help. He was just a random victim…”

The sixty-year-old was considered a "bon vivant, helpful, a good father and a loving husband," continues the same source. "He often gave us a hand with lots of things," Armindo Mendes told our colleagues at Le Parisien . "He couldn't stand discord or injustice," adds the director of the association. "For the Portuguese community, it's very hard. Lino really didn't deserve this. I'm thinking a lot about his family right now," he confides.

The Cultural and Folklore Group of the Portuguese of Mulhouse also paid tribute to the victim. "We are in mourning after the tragic attack in Mulhouse, which cost the life of one of our own," they wrote in a Facebook post. " Our thoughts go out to his family, his loved ones and all the victims of this unjust attack," they continued, announcing that a gathering was planned for this Monday in Mulhouse, at 7:30 p.m., to show support for the family. "Everyone is invited to come with a white carnation as a sign of solidarity," it was specified.