German tourist killed and British man injured by Paris 'terrorist wielding a knife and hammer'
3 December 2023, 07:00 | Updated: 3 December 2023, 12:10
A German tourist has been killed and a British man injured in a terror attack in Paris.
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The attack happened near the Eiffel Tower in the 15th arrondissement of the French capital at around 10pm on Saturday.
The suspect, named locally as Armand R.M., is a 25-year-old French citizen national born to Iranian parents.
He shouted "Allahu Akbar", which is Arabic for "God is greatest" during the attack.
The German-Filipino man was stabbed through the shoulder and chest, and was found in cardio arrest by emergency services workers.
He was with his wife when he was attacked, and she was saved by a taxi driver.
The suspect then ran across the River Seine and attacked a British man, hitting him in the eye with a hammer, according to local news outlet Le Parisien. A Frenchman was also hurt in the attack.
Read more: Paris police clash with protesters after France bans pro-Palestine demonstrations
The suspect was then Tasered and arrested on suspicion of pre-meditated murder and attempted pre-meditated murder in relation to a terrorist enterprise.
The British victim received medical treatment, and was not found to be in a life-threatening condition.
Authorities said the suspect had served four years in prison for planning another attack, and was known to the security services. He also had psychological problems.
He was very upset by Muslims being killed in Palestine and Afghanistan, according to French interior minister Gérald Darmanin.
Emmanuel Macron sent his thought to everyone who was caught up in the "terrorist attack" and thanked emergency services for their response.
The French president said: "The national anti-terrorist prosecutor's office will now be responsible for shedding light on this affair so that justice can be done in the name of the French people".
Mr Darmanin added: "The police have just courageously arrested an assailant attacking passers-by in Paris, around the Quai de Grenelle.
"One deceased person and one injured person treated by the Paris Fire Brigade. Please avoid the area."
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting a British man who was injured in Paris and are in contact with the local authorities."
It comes less than two months after a teacher died when he was attacked by a knifeman at a school in France. The suspect was known to French security services for his involvement in radical Islamism.
