A terrorist attack near the Eiffel Tower in central Paris claimed the life of a German tourist and injured two others on Saturday evening, according to President Emmanuel Macron.
The 26-year-old French national responsible for the attack was swiftly apprehended by police using a Taser stun gun, as reported by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.
The assailant, previously sentenced to four years in prison for planning another attack, was on the French security services’ watch list and had psychiatric disorders. The incident occurred around 1900 GMT, with the attacker mortally wounding a German national near the Eiffel Tower, subsequently being chased and arrested after attacking two more individuals with a hammer.
The suspect, uttering “Allahu akbar,” expressed grievances about Muslim casualties in Afghanistan and Palestine, as well as the Gaza situation.
President Macron conveyed his condolences on his X (twitter) account , while Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne emphasized resilience against terrorism. French anti-terrorism prosecutors are leading the investigation into the incident.
The attack, less than eight months before the Olympic Games in Paris, raises security concerns for the global sporting event, which is expected to attract up to 600,000 spectators during its unprecedented opening ceremony on the Seine river.
