- Attacker said he could not stand Muslims being killed in the world, source says
A tourist has been stabbed to death while a British man is reportedly among two others badly injured after a knifeman screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’ launched a frenzied attack in central Paris tonight.
The suspect, identified as Armand R., attacked any passersby he saw while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ – Arabic for God is the Greatest – near the Eiffel Tower at around 10pm, reports say.
The attacker had already been sentenced to ‘four years in prison’ in 2016 for planning another attack, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin revealed.
One victim, a tourist with dual German and Filipino nationality, was slashed in the back and shoulder by the attacker tonight. The man, who had not been named, was found in cardiorespiratory arrest before he passed away.
The second victim of tonight’s attack was British, and was out walking with his wife when Armand R. attacked him from behind.
‘The family were on the Avenue President Kennedy when they were set upon,’ said an investigating source, who added: ‘A hammer was used to hit the man over the head.’
The Englishman was rushed to hospital, where his condition was later described as ‘stable’. A third victim was also badly hurt in a hammer attack, said the source.
The arrested man was ‘immobilised with an electric stun gun,’ as he ran up the Avenue du Parc de Passy, said the source.
The bloodbath happened on the Grenelle quay, close to the Eiffel Tower in the 15th arrondissement of the French capital.
A man has been stabbed to death while a British tourist is reportedly among two others badly injured after a knifeman screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’ launched a frenzied attack in Paris tonight. Pictured: Police secures the access to the Bir-Hakeim bridge near the Eiffel Tower
The attacker was born in France and is French, a source in the French police said. Pictured: The scene at Quai De Grenelle, Paris
French police have cordoned off an area at the Bir-Hakeim bridge following the terrifying attack
The Parisien news outlet partially identified the alleged assailant as Armand R., a 26-year-old French national who was known to police for ‘radical Islamism’.
He was on an ‘S-File’ which means he should have been under surveillance, after telling people that he wanted to die as a martyr.
Armand R. is of Iranian origin, and known to be suffering with a psychiatric disorder.
A police source said that the attacker was known for psychiatric disorders and had said he could not stand Muslims being killed in the world. In 2016, he was arrested by the French national security agency before carrying out an attack.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed tonight that one person died and another was injured. The minister wrote on X: ‘The police have just courageously arrested an assailant attacking passersby in Paris, around the Quai de Grenelle.
‘One deceased person and one injured person treated by the Paris fire brigade. Please avoid the area.’
Transport Minister Clement Beaune said that Paris was ‘in mourning’. He wrote on X: ‘Thoughts and solidarity with the families and loved ones of the victims. Thank you to our security and emergency forces for their rapid and decisive intervention.’
The attacker was arrested soon afterwards, and is currently in custody and facing a possible murder charge.
A police source said that the attacker was known for psychiatric disorders and had said he could not stand Muslims being killed in the world. Pictured: French police secures the access to the Bir-Hakeim bridge
Police officers stand guard in a security perimeter set after one person was killed and two others wounded
A police car is parked in a security perimeter set after the fatal stabbing in Paris on Saturday night
Police have cordoned off areas of central Paris following the attack in Paris
Officers said there was no early indication as to the motive of the stabbing, but it follows a series of bomb, gun and knife attacks carried out by Islamic State and al-Qaeda operatives in France, dating back to early 2015 – many of whom have shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ while carrying out their crimes.
The deadliest single terrorist attack ever in the country came in November 2015 when 130 people were killed in Paris.
Suicide bombers pledging allegiance to ISIS targeted the Stade de France, cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan music venue, where 90 died.
Earlier in the year, two Paris-born gunmen linked to Al-Qaeda broke into the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, leaving 17 people dead inside and three outside.
In July 2016, 86 people were called and more than 400 injured when a 19 tonne truck was deliberately driven into crowds on the seafront promenade at Nice, which is just 20 miles from Cannes.
Police officers stand guard. Officers said there was no early indication as to the motive of the stabbing
One person died and another was injured, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on social media platform X
The terrorist turned out to be a Tunisian immigrant who was shot dead by police.
During the same month, two Isis terrorists murdered an 86-year-old Catholic priest during a church service in Normandy.
And in October 2020, three people were stabbed to death by a Tunisian immigrant in the Notre Dame basilica in Nice.
There have also been frequent knife attacks on the forces of law and order, leading to the deaths of serving police.