France (International Christian Concern) — On Wednesday, Sept. 10, Iraqi Christian Ashur Sarnaya was traveling late to his apartment in Lyon, France. While in his wheelchair, he started a livestream on TikTok, sharing his faith in Arabic. When he reached his apartment building, an unknown perpetrator stabbed him in the neck. Sarnaya, 45, later died from cardiac arrest. 

Sarnaya and his sister fled Iraq in 2014 after the Islamic State group threatened Sarnaya for his Christian beliefs. He and his sister settled in Lyon, France.  

In a witness’s video of the crime, a young figure in dark clothing is caught leaving the scene. In Sarnaya’s live video, he can be seen covered in blood, which streamed from his nose and mouth. This is how his sister’s friends learned of what happened to him. 

“When I got home, I saw that all my friends had called me several times,” Sarnaya’s sister said. “They told me to go see what was going on. When I arrived, he was dead.” 

She told RMC-BFM Lyon, “He was a normal person. He did live videos on TikTok to spread the word of God. He had no enemies, no problems with anyone.” 

According to Catholic News Agency, Sarnaya revealed in March that his account was regularly blocked and that he was receiving threats from Muslims because he criticized Islamic doctrines in his videos. 

While the reason for the attack is not yet known, the attack is considered a hate crime. France has reported an increase in religion-based hate crimes. The Center Reflection Sur La Security Interior (CRSI) reported that the first half of 2025 experienced a 13% increase in anti-Christian acts compared to the same period in 2024. 

In the wake of Sarnaya’s death, several people came forth to speak about what happened. Béatrice de Montille, the municipal councilor of Les Républicains de Lyon, said in a statement, “This murder is of appalling brutality and upsets us all. Let’s not be naive. Let’s be firm. This barbarism is unsustainable.” 

As Sarnaya regularly attended the Saint-Ephrem parish of Lyon, the president of the Assyrian-Chaldean Association of Lyon also put out a statement. According to Evangelical Focus, he described him as a “very kind, discreet, deeply religious person who liked to talk about the Christian faith.” 

Sarnaya’s distant cousin posted on Facebook about his late relative‘s faith.

“He spent his last moments doing exactly what he loved: spreading the gospel,“ Sarnaya’s cousin said. “In my opinion, he is a martyr, and his faith will always be an inspiration.” 

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