Russian-born knifeman goes on stabbing spree in Paris, 1 killed

PARIS: An assailant shouting “Allahu akbar” killed a passer-by in a knife attack that also wounded four others in the heart of Paris late on Saturday before he was shot dead by police, French authorities said.

The attacker was identified as a naturalised Frenchman born in Russia’s Chechnya region in 1997, judicial sources said on Sunday.

The attack took place in the busy Opera district known for its many restaurants, cafes and the Palais Garnier opera.

France is part of a Us-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and has thousands of soldiers in West Africa, where al Qaeda-linked militants are active.

The 21-year-old assailant had been categorised as “fiche S” since 2016, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said — a designation officials use to flag people who may be a threat to national security.

He became French when his mother obtained citizenship in 2010, Griveaux said in a joint interview with broadcasters LCI and RTL and newspaper Le Figaro.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq news agency, but provided no proof. Griveaux said the claim had not yet been fully authentified.

Authorities detained the attacker’s parents in Paris’ northern and a friend was detained in the city of Strasbourg on Sunday, officials said.