Ian Mahinmi Speaks on the Terrorist Attacks in France

Last week, terrorists attacked the newsroom of a satirical newspaper in France, killing 12 people. The assailants who first struck the Charlie Hebdo office remained at large after the assault and continued to commit violence in the country.

The Chicago Tribune gave the following summary of events.

"The three days of terror began Wednesday when brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi stormed the Charlie Hebdo newsroom, killing 12 people, including two police officers. Al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen said it directed the attack to avenge the honor of the Prophet Muhammad, a frequent target of the weekly’s barbs. Charlie Hebdo assailed Christianity, Judaism as well as officialdom of all stripes with its brand of sometimes crude satire.On Thursday, police said Coulibaly killed a policewoman. The next day, he seized hostages at the kosher market while the Kouachi brothers were holed up at a printing plant near Charles de Gaulle airport. It ended at dusk Friday with raids that left all three gunmen dead. Four hostages at the market were also killed.Five people held in connection with the attacks were freed late Saturday, leaving no one in custody, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. Coulibaly’s widow, last seen near the Turkish-Syrian border, is still being sought."

Indiana Pacers center and French citizen Ian Mahinmi said the following on Twitter after the initial attack on the newspaper’s newsroom.

According to the Indianapolis Star, that translates to: “We must pick ourselves up collectively and move forward together.” Ian Mahinmi added the following while speaking to Curt Cavin of the Star before Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics.

"Mahinmi said his mother and several friends live in the French capitol rocked this week by terrorism. He said he has regularly been on the telephone with them.“It’s obviously a scary situation, and the people are scared,” he said in a subdued voice. “For me it’s hard to be that far away and hear the feedback and hear what people are saying. It’s a very tough situation … We’ve had so [many] games and flying and sometimes I just call my best friend [in Paris to hear] what’s going on, what’s the latest,”"

Yesterday, in a show of solidarity to condemn the heinous acts, up to 1.6 million people convened in the streets of Paris, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"More than a million people surged through the boulevards of Paris behind dozens of world leaders walking arm-in-arm Sunday in a rally for unity described as the largest demonstration in French history. Millions more marched around the country and the world to repudiate three days of terror that killed 17 people and changed France."

Mahinmi offered the following response on Twitter.

Ian Mahinmi’s pride aligned with the official message of solidarity that came from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

"At an international conference in India, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the world stood with the people of France “not just in anger and in outrage, but in solidarity and commitment to the cause of confronting extremism and in the cause that extremists fear so much and that has always united our countries: freedom.”"

In addition to dealing with this tragedy occurring in his homeland across the Atlantic, it has been a rough year for Mahinmi health-wise.

Most recently, he injured his foot in December and was forced to miss nearly a month of action. And last summer, he hurt his shoulder in an injury that kept him from competing for France in the FIBA World Cup of basketball.

His personal injuries pale by leaps and bounds in comparison to what his country has suffered, of course. But Mahinmi has recovered to get back on the court and now France will spend the next few years trying to heal from a senseless attack that has wounded its citizens, no matter whether they live in Paris, Bordeaux or Indianapolis.