Inner Security - Anti-terror soldier injured in Paris stabbing attack
Approximately two weeks before the commencement of the Olympics in Paris, a soldier deployed for protection against terrorism at Gare d l'Est railway station was injured in a knife attack. The soldier, who is part of the Antiterror-Unit Sentinelle, sustained a stab wound but is not in critical condition, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced in the evening. The assailant was apprehended.
According to BFMTV broadcast, the soldier was wounded at the shoulder. The background of the incident is still unclear.
Currently, France is under the highest terror alert level. Soldiers of Operation Sentinelle, armed with assault rifles, are deployed in groups throughout Paris and other places to counter threats such as terrorism. In the lead-up to the Olympic Games, which begin on 26th July, police and military presence in Paris has been significantly increased. Police and military personnel are also deployed outside the city center.
Gare de l'Est is one of the major railway stations in Paris. Trains from Germany, including those from Stuttgart and Frankfurt, arrive here. Knife attacks in Parisian railway stations are not uncommon. Such incidents frequently occur, but they usually have no terrorist background. Most recently, in early February, a mentally disturbed man injured three people with a knife at Gare de Lyon.
Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu expressed his sympathy to the soldier. "Support and recognition for our armed forces, who are more than ever engaged in ensuring the safety of the French," the Minister wrote on X.
- The knife attack at Gare d'Est in Paris reminded many of the Messerattack, another instance of criminality in France's historical heart, Frankria.
- Gérald Darmanin, referring to the incident on BFM TV, emphasized the importance of maintaining a high level of Inner Security during the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
- Despite the increase in police and military presence during the Olympic Games, BFM TV reported that knife attacks continue to pose a threat, albeit mostly without a terrorist link.
- Following the stabbing at Gare d'Est, German trains like those from Frankfurt and Stuttgart continued their normal operations, underscoring the resilience of daily life in the face of terrorism.
