News Person dead in Paris

France  

Knife attack in Paris – one dead and several injured  

Nelly Kronstrand,  

Emil Forsberg 

Updated 00.32 | Published 2023-12-02 22.54  

The Eiffel Tower. Photo: Erik Johansen / NTB 

One person has died and two more have been injured in an attack near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  

A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the crime. 

"Stay away from the area," writes French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on social media.  

At 22:00 on Saturday evening, a man attacked passers-by near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  

According to French Le Parisien, a knife and hammer were used in the crime.  

Tourist died - man arrested 

The man who died was a tourist with dual citizenship of Germany and the Philippines, according to the paper. 

He was found by emergency services at the Bir-Hakeim bridge with stab wounds to his back and shoulder, but his life could not be saved.  

In the vicinity of the site, two more tourists were attacked.  

According to Le Parisien, the perpetrator allegedly hit one of the people in the head with a hammer. 

The injured man is said to be from England and was in the area around the Eiffel Tower with his wife and their child.  

There is currently no information about the third person who fell victim to the attack.  

Shout "Allahu akbar"  

The suspected perpetrator is described as a 25-year-old man. 

Several media write that the man shouted "Allahu akbar" at the time of the act.  

He was arrested by police later on Friday evening, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote on X.  

The man threatened the police with a hammer during the arrest. Only after a stun gun was fired at him could he be taken into custody.  

Imprisoned for planned terrorist act 

During a press conference on Saturday evening, Gérald Darmanin stated that the suspected perpetrator is already known to the police. 

- The man was sentenced in 2016 to four years in prison for planning a terrorist act.  

He was released from prison in 2020 and will then undergo treatment for mental health problems.  

Gérald Darmanin. Photo: Virginia Mayo /AP