Paris police say suspect in attack may have mental health issues
By Helena Alves and John Leicester
PARIS — A man armed with a knife and a hammer wounded three people Saturday in an early morning attack at the bustling Gare de Lyon train station in Paris, another nerve-rattling security incident in the Olympics host city before the Summer Games open in six months.
The 31-year-old man, carrying residency papers from Italy and medicines suggesting he was undergoing treatment, was quickly taken into police custody following the attack at 7:35 a.m. in one of the station's cavernous halls, authorities said.
Millions of passengers ride the hub's high-speed and commuter trains.
“This individual appears to suffer from psychiatric troubles,” said Laurent Nunez, the Paris police chief who is also in charge of the massive security operation for the July 26-Aug. 11 Olympic Games.
While stressing that the police investigation was still in early stages, Nunez said: “There are no elements that lead us to think that this could be a terrorist act.”
A man was seriously wounded in the stomach and underwent surgery and two other people were more lightly hurt, authorities said.
The Paris prosecutor's office said the man is thought to be from Mali in northwest Africa and that the police investigation is looking at a potential preliminary charge of attempted murder.
Security in Paris is being tightened as it prepares to welcome 10,500 Olympians and millions of visitors for the first Olympic Games in a century in the French capital.
Security concerns are particularly sharp for the Games' opening ceremony along the River Seine. Tens of thousands of police officers and soldiers will be deployed to secure the Games' first opening ceremony to be held outside the more easily secured confines of a stadium.