Terrorism - Attack on German: Paris sees no police failure
Following the death of a German in an Islamist-motivated knife attack in Paris, France's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has denied any failure on the part of the police. The security forces had done their utmost with regard to the Islamist, who had already been convicted of planning an attack, the minister told BFMTV.
However, there had apparently been failures in the psychiatric department, which had treated the man, who had been identified as a radical Islamist, for mental disorders. The possibility must be created for the police to order the presentation of potentially dangerous people in psychiatric wards.
The attacker had killed a German tourist with a knife on Saturday evening near the Eiffel Tower and injured two other people. The police arrested the man shortly afterwards. According to Darmanin, the attacker said after his arrest that he could no longer bear the deaths of Muslims in both Afghanistan and Palestine. The man was of the opinion that France was partly responsible for Israel's war in the Gaza Strip. Anti-terrorism investigators came across a video in which the alleged perpetrator swears allegiance to the so-called Islamic State.
According to media reports, the French-born man with Iranian parents had already spent four years in prison for a planned attack on the La Defense business district in Paris in 2016. His mother had expressed her concern to the police at the end of October that her son had withdrawn. However, the authorities saw no reason to intervene.
Federal prosecutor's office investigates
Following the suspected terrorist attack in Paris, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office is also investigating. A spokesperson for the Federal Public Prosecutor General in Karlsruhe confirmed that an investigation had been launched into the suspected Islamist who allegedly killed a German tourist with a knife in Paris not far from the Eiffel Tower. This had previously been reported in "Der Spiegel".
The suspect is being investigated on suspicion of membership of a terrorist organization abroad in conjunction with murder. According to the spokesman, the investigations by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office are running parallel to the investigations in France.
Read also:
- The knife attack at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, motivated by Islamist beliefs, resulted in the death of a German tourist and injuries to two others, sparking discussions about police failures and psychiatric care.
- The French government and its law enforcement agencies are grappling with the complexities of criminality and emergencies, especially in light of the increasing threat of terrorism.
- Gérald Darmanin, France's Interior Minister, has ruled out any police failure in the Paris attack, but highlighted some potential gaps in the psychiatric department's handling of the assailant.
- The criminal investigation into the knife attack is being conducted by both French authorities and the federal prosecutor's office in Germany, reflecting the transnational nature of terrorism and criminality.
- The alleged Islamist perpetrator, a French-born individual with Iranian origins, had a history of criminality, including planning an attack in Paris, and received psychiatric care before the attack.
- The Eiffel Tower, a symbol of France and global tourism, has once again been the site of an Islamist-motivated attack, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by countries in addressing terrorism and criminality.
- The attack in Paris has raised questions about the balance between therapy and security, particularly in cases where individuals with radical beliefs are in psychiatric care, and the role of community involvement in identifying potential threats.
Source: www.stern.de