One person died while two municipal police officials were left critically injured after a brutal knife attack took place during a demonstration in France’s Mulhouse on Saturday, the local prosecutor said.
Two other police officials were lightly wounded in the violent incident that occurred around 4:00 pm local time (1500 GMT). The attack is being treated as a possible terror attack, AFP reported.
According to local prosecutor Nicolas Heitz, the attack was carried out by a 37-year-old man, who is on a terror prevention watchlist.
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The list, called FSPRT, compiles data from various authorities on individuals to prevent “terrorist” radicalisation. It was launched in 2015 following deadly attacks on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo’s offices and a Jewish supermarket.
Assailant shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ before the knife attack
The assailant, who targeted the officers during a rally in support of Congo, has been identified as an Algerian-born individual.
He was reportedly under judicial supervision and house arrest at the time of the assault, with an active expulsion order against him.
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France’s national anti-terror prosecutors unit said the suspect first attacked the municipal police officers, shouting “Allahu Akbar”.
Out of the two officials who were injured, one sustained a wound to the carotid artery and the other to the thorax.
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Reacting to the incident, Mulhouse mayor Michele Lutz said “Horror has seized our city,” in a Facebook post. She further added that the knife attack was being investigated as a terror attack but it must still be confirmed by the judiciary”.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau was also expected to travel to the scene of the attack later Saturday, AFP reported.
President Emmanuel Macron said was an “Islamist terror act”.
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Meanwhile, the police established a security parameter after the brutal attack and France’s national anti-terror prosecutors unit (PNAT) said it was taking charge of the investigation.
This comes just a month after a man was stabbed for bumping into a stranger at a subway station in France. The incident sparked outrage among people after the video of the moment surfaced on social media.
