PARIS – A lethal assault near the Eiffel Tower in central Paris led to the death of a German man and injuries to two other individuals including a British citizen, in an attack involving a knife and a hammer.
The incident occurred just before 9:00 PM local time on Saturday and a 26-year-old French man was apprehended soon after the incident that sent shockwaves across the city.
Prosecutor Jean-François Ricard revealed that the suspect, identified as Armand R had publicly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group via social media video. The suspect had previously served a four-year prison term in 2016 for attempting to travel to Syria to join IS; the law enforcers have also detained his family members for probe and it is being reported that the suspect was also critical of French policies regarding the ongoing situation in Gaza.
France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed that the incident took place at Quai de Grenelle and the victim was with his wife when he was attacked.
The suspect had been on the French security services’ watch list and was also known for having psychiatric disorders, Darmanin added.
The assailant fled across a nearby bridge, subsequently injuring two more individuals—a French man in his 60s and a 66-year-old British tourist.
Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron condemned the act as a “terrorist attack,” expressing solidarity with the victims and acknowledging the authorities’ prompt response.
“The national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office will now be responsible for shedding light on this affair so that justice can be done in the name of the French people,” he said on social media platform X.
The central Paris attack comes less than eight months before the French metropolis is set to host the Olympic Games, potentially raising questions about security at the global sporting event.
