Terrorism investigation launched after tourist killed in hammer and knife attack Paris, as a result of which two more people were injured, including a Briton.
The victims were attacked and arrested near the Eiffel Tower on Saturday evening by a 26-year-old Frenchman.
The suspect, previously known to French security services, told police he was outraged by the deaths of Muslims, especially in Gaza and Afghanistan, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said before anti-terrorism prosecutors opened an investigation.
Police later detained the suspect and tased him after he fled across a bridge over the Seine, and arrested him on suspicion of first-degree murder and “attempted murder in connection with terrorist activities.”
Officials confirmed that the man killed was a German national who was cut on his back and shoulder by a man who shouted “Allahu Akbar,” which means “God is great” in Arabic.
According to Darmanin, the wife of a German tourist was saved by a taxi driver who came to her aid amid the chaos.
Two other people were injured, including a 60-year-old Frenchman whose injuries were not life-threatening.
A wounded British man, whose identity could not be established, was also injured. He was walking with his wife and child when he was attacked from behind with a hammer, local media reported, citing a police source.
“The man was hit on the head with a hammer,” the source said.
The Briton was taken to hospital, where his condition was later described as “stable”.
The British Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the British person injured in Paris and are in contact with local authorities.”
Earlier on Saturday, the suspect allegedly posted a video on social media criticizing the French government and talking about the killing of innocent Muslims, AFP reported.
The suspect was “restrained” by police using a stun gun as he ran along the Avenue du Parc de Passy near the famous monument, police said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said his thoughts go out to everyone affected by the “terrorist attack.”
“The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office will now be responsible for clarifying this case so that justice can be served on behalf of the French people,” he added.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz told X earlier on Twitter that he was “shocked” by the attack.
It happened around 21:00 on the Quai Grenelle in the 15th arrondissement of the French capital, not far from the Eiffel Tower.
Darmanen said police “bravely arrested the assailant who attacked bystanders.”
The incident on Saturday night comes less than eight months before the Olympic Games in the French capital.
The French capital is planning an unprecedented opening ceremony on the Seine, which is expected to attract up to 600,000 spectators.
The attack follows a series of bomb, gun and knife attacks carried out by Islamist terrorists in France since early 2015.
The country’s deadliest terrorist attack occurred in November 2015, when 130 people were killed in Paris..
Suicide bombers pledging allegiance to IS attacked the Stade de France stadium, cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall, killing 90 people.
Earlier this year, two Parisians with links to al-Qaeda attacked the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 20 people.
In July 2016, 86 people were killed and more than 400 injured when a 19-ton truck deliberately drove into a crowd of people on the Boulevard of Nice, just 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Cannes.
In October 2020, three people were stabbed to death by a Tunisian immigrant at the Notre Dame Basilica in Nice.
Source: I News
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