A tourist was stabbed to death this Saturday night, very close to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, by a radical Islamist. After being arrested, the man argued that he was acting in defense of Muslims who have been murdered.
According to local reports, the attack began when a man armed with a knife stabbed a German tourist of Filipino origin in the back and shoulder on the emblematic bridge over the Seine in Bir-Hakeim.
After this, the attacker allegedly crossed the bridge and, while fleeing from the police, attacked other passers-by: an English tourist, injured in the eye with a hammer, and another person who was also wounded but who is only "shocked" according to reports.
Attacker details
The attacker was identified as Armand R., a Frenchman who had been registered for months with the letter 'S,' indicating that he requires priority surveillance due to his possible links with radical Islamism. In addition, the attacker was under police monitoring for psychiatric problems and resided in the town of Puteaux, on the outskirts of northern Paris.
Before being detained by the police, the man shouted "Allah u-Akbar" (Allah is the greatest!, in English), and after his arrest, he argued that his action was in defense of Muslims because he could not bear "that Muslims die in both Afghanistan and Palestine.
The Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, who went to the scene of the incident, confirmed that the attacker had already been sentenced in 2016 to four years in prison for a frustrated attack.
https://t.co/S1YFUKjyxu pic.twitter.com/05RQ9OrMBj
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) December 2, 2023
The anti-terrorism prosecutor's office will take charge of the investigation. The incident has revived security concerns in France, which has been on high alert for terrorist threats for more than a month. French Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne declared that the country will not give in to terrorism and expressed her condolences to the victims and their loved ones.
It should be remembered that recently, a 16-year-old French teenager also lost his life after being stabbed by Islamists who sought to kill "white people." The tragic incident sparked protests in France.
