Stephanie Lecoq/Reuters
French police guard the Bir Hakim Bridge after the December 2 attacks in Paris.
Paris, France
CNN
—
French police have arrested a man suspected of killing one person and injuring two others in a knife and hammer attack in central Paris.
French Interior Minister Gérald Dormanin told reporters on Saturday night that the attack took place in Bir Hakim, near the Eiffel Tower.
He said the arrested person was a French citizen.
A German tourist – born in the Philippines – was killed in the attack, while two others suffered non-life-threatening injuries, he added.
One of the police officers who responded to the scene used a Taser to neutralize the attacker, Dormanin said. He added that there is no danger to the suspect’s life.
“After his arrest, Muslims in both Afghanistan and Palestine cannot bear to die,” Darmanin said.
Speaking to reporters, Dharmanin said the suspect was born in France in 1997 and was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 for planning a “violent act”.
The suspect was known to intelligence services to have “severe mental disorders,” Tarmanin added.
The minister said police told him the assailant shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack.
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French President Emmanuel Macron called the incident a terrorist attack and France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office would investigate.
“I send all my condolences to the family and loved ones of the German national who died this evening,” Macron wrote in a post on X early Sunday.
France also thanked the emergency services.
“Now the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office is responsible for shedding light on this matter so that justice can be done in the name of the French people,” Macron wrote.
Videos from the scene showed police cars, ambulances and the Paris fire brigade arriving, with heavy traffic being diverted. Numerous enclosures were also erected.
The public has been advised to avoid the area.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
