Three people were injured by a man armed with a knife and a hammer inside a busy train station in France on Saturday, with police ruling out terrorism and saying the suspect may have mental health problems. It suggests that there is.
The attack occurred around 7:35 a.m. at Gare de Lyon in Paris, and one person was seriously injured in the abdomen and taken to hospital for surgery. Police say the victim’s injuries are life-threatening.
Two other victims suffered minor injuries, police said.
A 32-year-old suspect was taken into custody. The motive of the suspected attacker is not clear at this time.
France’s forensic and judicial police are collecting evidence following a knife attack at Gare de Lyon in Paris, a major tourist hub, in February. March 2024. (Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images)
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French media reported that the man was from Mali, Africa, but police said he had a residence permit from Italy and drugs indicating he was undergoing treatment. This document allows him to legally travel to other European countries.
“This person appears to be suffering from a mental illness,” said Laurent, the Paris police chief who is also responsible for the massive security operation for this year’s Olympics, which will be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11.・Nunez said.
“There is nothing that would lead us to believe that this could be an act of terrorism,” Nuñez said, stressing that the police investigation is still in its early stages.
Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez spoke to reporters after the knife attack.
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Nunez said a passerby intervened to help railroad police officers take the suspect into custody.
According to authorities, the attack took place in one of the station’s cavernous halls. Millions of passengers use this transportation hub’s high-speed trains that connect Paris with other cities, as well as commuter trains to the suburbs and towns of the Paris region.
Investigators are analyzing the knife and hammer, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. Police said their investigation is considering the possibility of a preliminary charge of attempted murder.
French forensic and judicial police are collecting evidence following a knife attack that occurred on February 3, 2024, at Gare de Lyon in Paris, a major travel hub. (Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images)
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Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin described the attack as an “intolerable act” and thanked those who captured the attackers.
Recently, there have been several knife attacks in France.
In October, a Chechen immigrant on France’s extremist watchlist allegedly stabbed a teacher to death and injured two others in a suspected terrorist attack, and in June, a Syrian man with a knife was killed on a French lakeside. A refugee stabbed four young children and injured two adults. French Alps.
At least six people were injured in an attack at Gare du Nord in January last year.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
