Paris, France – On Saturday night, an attack with a knife and hammer led to the death of one man and the injury of two others near the iconic Eiffel Tower. The suspect, a 26-year-old French citizen with Iranian parents, has been arrested in connection with the incidents.
According to French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, the attack took place just before 9 p.m. local time. The identity of the suspect has not been confirmed. At the time of the accident, the victim was a German tourist traveling with his wife.
The attacker was interrupted by a brave taxi driver after fatally stabbing the victim. He is credited with saving her life. After being interrupted, the suspect then fled to a nearby bridge over the River Seine, where he attacked two more individuals. A French man around 60 years old and a 66-year-old British tourist were injured in the assault, with the latter being struck in the eye with a hammer.
Both injured victims received treatment from emergency services, and their injuries are not life-threatening. During the arrest, police deployed a Taser on the suspect to apprehend him. He is being held on suspicion of premeditated murder and attempted assassination in relation to a terrorist enterprise, as defined by French law.
Reports state that the suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack. He allegedly expressed grievances about the deaths of Muslims in Afghanistan and Palestine, according to authorities. As a former terrorist who served a four-year sentence for planning an attack, the suspect was well known to intelligence services. After his release in 2020, he was supposed to receive psychiatric treatment.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences to the family of the German victim and wished a swift recovery to the injured in a statement released on X (formerly Twitter). He also commended the emergency services and confirmed that the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office will be leading the investigation.
Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, also condemned the attack and emphasized the importance of standing against hate and terror. The incident near the Eiffel Tower has prompted an investigation by anti-terrorism prosecutors.