Garde-Colombe

Garde-Colombe (Vivaro-Alpine: Garda Colomba) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department of southeastern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 and consists of the former communes of Eyguians, Lagrand and Saint-Genis.^[3]

Garde-Colombe
Commune
Location of Garde-Colombe
Garde-Colombe Show map of France Garde-Colombe Show map of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Coordinates: 44°20′46″N 5°46′16″E
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Hautes-Alpes
Arrondissement	Gap
Canton	Serres
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Damien Duranceau[1]
Area 1	34.61 km2 (13.36 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	523
• Density	15.1/km2 (39.1/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	05053 /05300
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

2016 knife attack

The newly minted commune was the location of the 20 July 2016 knife attack on a mother and her three daughters (aged 8,^[4] 12, and 14) at a local VVF Lagrand resort. The 8-year old was airlifted by helicopter to Grenoble because of a punctured lung.^[5] The perpetrator from Morocco,^[6] Mohamed Boufarkouch, shouted "Allah akbar" (Allah is great) several times in jail.^[7] Boufarkouch, who has been on disability since 2009,^[8] was in Garde-Colombe with his two daughters and his pregnant wife. The prosecutor indicated that terrorism is not seen as a prime motivator, and indicated there were "no signs of religious radicalisation" and the suspect's practice of the Muslim religion "has been moderate."^[9]