Paris attacker was a French born in Chechnya
paris — An assailant killed a 29-year-old 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 a naturalised Frenchman born in Russia’s Chechnya region in 1997, judicial sources said on Sunday.
The unnamed assailant shouted slogan as he also wounded four others, among them a Chinese and a Luxembourg citizen, officials said.
The attack took place in the busy Opera district known for its many restaurants, cafes and the Palais Garnier opera.
It was one of a succession in France in which more than 240 people have died since January 2015, keeping the country on high alert.
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. He rejected criticism that the government was not doing enough to stem such attack. Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq news agency .
President Emmanuel Macron said France would “not yield an inch to the enemies of freedom,” and praised police for “neutralising the terrorist”.
A judicial source said the assailant’s parents were being held for questioning. Police union representative Rocco Contento said the attacker had rushed at police shouting “I will kill you, I will kill you!” after stabbing bystanders.—