Knife attack in Paris - Suspected murderer of a German in Paris confesses to IS
France is once again rocked by a suspected Islamist-motivated attack in which a young German tourist was killed near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Two other people were injured in the attack on Saturday evening. The attacker was overpowered. He was known to the authorities as an Islamist, but also suffered from psychological problems. The anti-terrorism public prosecutor's office took over the investigation.
The 26-year-old attacker claimed allegiance to the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS) in a video. The perpetrator had been in contact with other jihadist-motivated attackers, the public prosecutor's office in Paris announced on Sunday. He had already been imprisoned for four years for preparing an attack and had severe psychological problems.
According to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, the attack began on Saturday evening at around 9 p.m. near the Eiffel Tower. The 26-year-old perpetrator first attacked the 23-year-old German and his partner with a knife and stabbed the man. Thanks to the courageous intervention of a cab driver, his companion was unharmed.
The young man who was killed had both German and Filipino citizenship. The French emergency doctor Patrick Pelloux reported that his companion was in severe shock.
Suspected terror attack in Paris: perpetrator was known to police
According to Darmanin, the perpetrator fled to the other side of the Seine and attacked two other people there with a hammer. A 60-year-old Frenchman was injured and a 66-year-old British tourist suffered a shock. Shortly afterwards, the attacker was overpowered by the police with the help of a Taser. He is said to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) during the attack, reported the Home Secretary.
An eyewitness, who was in a bar nearby during the attack, described hearing cries for help and seeing people running away. A man "with a hammer in his hand" attacked a passer-by, who then fell. After "five to ten minutes", the police arrived.
According to Darmanin, the attacker was already known to be an Islamist: He was accordingly sentenced to five years in prison in 2016 for planning another attack in the La Défense business district of Paris, of which he served four years. He then remained under judicial supervision.
According to the investigators, the 26-year-old was born in France to Iranian parents and had French citizenship. He last lived with his parents in the Paris area. According to investigators, the man had suffered from psychological problems. He was "very unstable" and "easily influenced" and had received psychiatric treatment during and after his detention. The details of his treatment are now being investigated further.
After his arrest, the assassin stated that he could no longer bear to see Muslims killed in "Afghanistan and Palestine". He accused France of being Israel's "accomplice" in the Gaza war. At around the same time as his attack, the 26-year-old also published a video on online networks in which he referred to "the current situation, the government, the murder of innocent Muslims".
Baerbock and Macron express their condolences after the attack
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) expressed her shock at the fatal knife attack on the young German. Her thoughts are with the young man's friends and family and she wishes the injured a speedy recovery, she said on the online service X (formerly Twitter). She added: "Hate and terror have no place in Europe."
Erschütternde Nachrichten aus #Paris. Meine Gedanken sind bei Freunden & Familie des jungen Deutschen, der bei dem mutmaßlich islamistischen Angriff getötet wurde. Fast sein ganzes Leben lag noch vor ihm. Gute Besserung den Verletzten. Hass & Terror haben in Europa keinen Platz.
— Außenministerin Annalena Baerbock (@ABaerbock) December 3, 2023
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his "condolences" to the relatives of the victim on the online service X. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne declared on X: "We will not give in to terrorism." Macron called on Borne to convene a security meeting on Sunday afternoon.
Since the major attack by the radical Islamic group Hamas on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent massive Israeli shelling of targets in the Gaza Strip, tensions have increased massively in France, which has a large Jewish and Muslim population.
The highest attack alert level is in force in France after a radicalized ex-pupil stabbed a 57-year-old teacher and injured three other staff members at a school in Arras in northern France on 13 October.
Read also:
- The attack in Paris on Saturday evening near the Eiffel Tower was carried out by a suspected Islamist who held French and Iranian citizenship.
- The attacker confessed his allegiance to the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS) in a video, indicating a potential link to the global terror network.
- The emergency doctor who attended to the German tourist reported that both he and his companion were in severe shock after the knife attack.
- Gérald Darmanin, the French Interior Minister, stated that the attacker had been known to the authorities due to his previous history of planning terror attacks and psychological issues.
- The public prosecutor's office in Paris announced that the 26-year-old attacker had been in contact with other jihadist-motivated attackers and had already served four years in prison for planning an attack.
- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed her shock at the incident and wished the injured a speedy recovery, condemning hate and terror in Europe.
- Emmanuel Macron, the French President, also expressed his condolences to the family of the victim and called for a security meeting in response to the escalating tensions in France following recent terror attacks.
Source: www.stern.de
