In a tragic incident near the Eiffel Tower on Saturday evening, a German tourist lost his life, and two individuals sustained injuries in a knife and hammer attack.
The assailant, 26, a French citizen with a history of radical Islamism and psychiatric issues, said he was “fed up with seeing Muslims die.” He was apprehended and is in police custody. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrest and the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office has initiated an investigation into charges of murder and attempted assassination.
During the assault, the attacker, previously sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 for expressing violent intentions, reportedly shouted “Allah Akbar,” according to a police source. The deceased victim was identified as a German tourist, while the injured parties include a Frenchman in his sixties and a foreign tourist, whose nationality remains unspecified and was attacked with a hammer.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, emphasizing her nation’s resilience against terrorism, stated, “We will not give in to terrorism.”
She extended her thoughts to the victims and their families, commending the courage and professionalism of law enforcement and emergency services.
French President Emmanuel Macron conveyed his condolences to the family of the German victim early Sunday.
This incident follows an attack in Arras, France, less than two months ago, that resulted in the death of a teacher and prompted the elevation of the Vigipirate security plan to the highest “emergency attack” level.
The Vigipirate plan is a government plan for vigilance, prevention, and protection against terrorist threats and reports to the Prime Minister, who is responsible for the government’s national security action
The method employed in Saturday’s attack echoes previous incidents in Paris. In May 2018, a Franco-Russian assailant from Chechnya, associated with ISIS, killed a passerby with a kitchen knife. Another attack took place in February 2017 near the Louvre Museum when an Egyptian individual, shouting “Allah Akbar,” attacked soldiers on duty with a machete. In Marseille, in October 2017, an assailant linked to ISIS killed two people with a knife, leading to his death by police gunfire.
