A German tourist was killed and two other people were injured by an assailant who attacked passersby with a knife near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, according to French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. The attack occurred around 7 p.m. when the male assailant attacked a tourist couple on the Quai de Grenelle. The assailant reportedly fatally stabbed the German tourist and injured two other people before fleeing the scene. He was eventually subdued with a taser and apprehended by the police.
The suspect, a 25-year-old French citizen, told police he was distressed about Muslims dying in Afghanistan and Palestine and allegedly shouted “Allahu Akhbar” during the attack. President Emmanuel Macron extended his condolences to the family of the victim and thanked the emergency forces for their swift action in apprehending the suspect, whom he described as a terrorist.
The assailant, a French citizen who had spent four years in prison for plotting a violent offense, left prison in 2020 and was under surveillance and undergoing psychiatric treatment. France has been under a heightened terror alert since a fatal stabbing in October, and this latest incident is being investigated by the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office.