2018 Paris knife attack
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (May 2018) |
| 2018 Paris knife attack | |
|---|---|
| Location | Paris, France |
| Date | 12 May 2018 |
| Deaths | 2 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 4 |
On 12 May 2018, a 21-year-old Franco-Chechen knife-wielding man was fatally shot by police after he killed one pedestrian and injured several more in Paris, France.[1] The knifings were in the area of Rue Saint-Augustin and Passage Choiseul.[2]
Incident
The attack occurred in the second arrondissement of Paris.[3] Police first tried twice to stop the attacker with a stun-gun before shooting the suspect fatally when the stungun failed to incapacitate him.[4] Footage from the scene shows people running northward from Rue Mehul into Rue Marsollier, and at least one individual on the corner of the streets potentially wounded.[5]
Response
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wrote on Twitter about the attack that "tonight, our city has been bruised" and that "all Parisians are by their side", referring to the families and friends of the victims.[5] French President Emmanuel Macron offered his prayers to the victims and thanked the police for their swift actions. French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb praised the cool and quick response of the French police who "neutralized" the assailant.[6]
Suspect
The news agency for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) later claimed responsibility for the attack and claimed the suspect as one of its "soldiers", and eyewitnesses claimed the suspect was shouting "Allahu Akbar".[2]
The suspect in the deadly knife attack in central Paris on Saturday evening was named as Khamzat Azimov, a french citizen, born in 1997 in the Russian republic of Chechnya. He came with his parents to France in the early 2000s where the family was granted refugee-status in 2004. In 2010 the mother became a french citizen, which allowed the naturalization of her son. The then 19 year old suspect became a person of interest for the DGSI in 2016, when some of his acquaintances plannend to travel to Syria. He had no criminal record.[7]
The judicial source told French media that the suspect had no criminal record and that his parents had been held for questioning.[8] Currently ISIL did not have proof to substantiate the claim, and no authorities or security sources have backed the claim, given by the media source. An unnamed witness was interviewed by France's BFM network, who stated that a young woman at the entrance of a restaurant was knifed in the neck, before being rescued, and the attacker moved to another street.[3] The investigation is being conducted on a "terrorism" basis by the Paris Police Prefecture.
References
- ^ "Man shot by police in Paris after attacking pedestrians with a knife". CNBC. May 12, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
- ^ a b "Paris stabbing leaves 1 dead, 4 injured; suspect fatally shot by police". CBS News. May 12, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ a b "Terrorism probe into Paris knife attack that left two dead, including attacker". ABC News. May 13, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ "Two dead in Paris knife attack". BBC News. May 12, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
- ^ a b Hayes, Christal; Bhatti, Jabeen (May 12, 2018). "'Our city has been bruised': Islamic State claims Paris knife attack that left 1 dead, 4 injured". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ Almasy, Steve; Tapiero, Eva (May 12, 2018). "Attacker stabs five in Paris, killing one before police take him down". CNN. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ "Qui est Khamzat Azimov, l'auteur de l'attentat au couteau qui a fait un mort à Paris ?". Le Monde (in French). May 13, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ "Paris attack suspect 'of Chechen origin'". BBC News. May 13, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
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