Paris knifeman kills one in terror attack
A MAN armed with a knife lunged at bystanders in a suspected terror attack in central Paris last night, killing at least one person and injuring four others before being shot dead by police.
The assailant shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) as he struck pedestrians. Two of the injured were in serious condition.
The attack took place near the Palais Garnier Opera House in the 2nd arrondissement. The area, which has many cafés, restaurants, cinemas and theatres, was packed. Police first attempted to Taser the attacker, but opened fire after failing to subdue him, witnesses said.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant last night claimed responsibility for the attack.
François Molins, the Paris prosecutor, said a terrorism investigation had been opened.
Yvan Assioma, a police union spokesman, described the man as “bearded, with long hair.” Mr Assioma said he “looked North African.”
The attacker was not carrying ID and had not been identified last night. Pierre Gaudin, an official at Paris Pre- fecture, said his motives were still unknown.
Forensic officers were examining evidence at the scene and police said they would try to identify the attacker from his fingerprints and DNA, and by using facial recognition technology. Loic Travers, a police union spokesman, said the onslaught was similar to a knife attack carried out by a suspected jihadist in Marseille last year.
Gérard Collomb, the interior minister, said his “first thoughts are with the victims of this odious act”.
He added: “I salute the sang-froid
and quick reactions of the police.” Kiomi, a woman who witnessed the attack, described the assailant as “darkhaired, of medium build.”
Another witness, Fiona Zanetti, said she was in a restaurant when the incident happened. “The guy just targeted people, at random it seemed, attacking them in the street where they were standing or walking. People started running.”
A restaurant worker, said: “There was a lady standing near the entrance of the restaurant and he went for her and then stabbed her boyfriend. There was chaos, and then there were two shots.”
Charles Pellegrin, a journalist, said: “I came out of a comedy show and was told to go back inside immediately because there was a madman with a knife. Once inside, we heard sirens and two gun shots.”
More than 245 people have been killed in a string of jihadist attacks across France in the past three years.
In November 2015, gunmen wearing suicide vests killed 130 people at the Bataclan concert venue and nearby bars and restaurants. On July 14 2016, a Tunisian man drove a 19-ton lorry into crowds of families on the Nice beachfront as they watched a Bastille Day fireworks display.
Isil claimed responsibility for both atrocities.
A knife attack outside the main railway station in Marseille in October last year that killed two young women was also claimed by Isil, but French investigators have not confirmed that it was a jihadist attack.
In March this year, four people were killed by an Islamist near Carcassone.