Off-duty police officer detains man who attacked three women with knives in Paris
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A man armed with two kitchen knives injured three women in Paris on Monday before being overpowered by bystanders and detained by an off-duty police officer, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.
The attack took place near Porte de Clichy, where the suspect allegedly stabbed three women aged 19, 24 and 36. Two of the victims suffered serious injuries. Authorities are still investigating the motive.
A video verified by Reuters showed the suspect, dressed in a cream tracksuit and wielding a large knife in each hand, attempting to attack a young woman. It remains unclear whether she was injured.
Mohamed-Ali Bouhadjar, 26, who filmed the incident, said he and other passers-by intervened after seeing a woman being stabbed. One bystander threw a suitcase at the attacker, causing him to drop the knives before several people tackled him and pinned him to the ground.
The footage also captured the suspect, while restrained, saying: “It is Allah who commanded me.”
Nuñez praised the off-duty police officer who formally detained the suspect, describing his actions as courageous. He said investigators had yet to establish the attacker’s identity or motive, adding that his statements during the arrest were “incoherent”.
France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said it was assessing the case to determine whether it should take over the investigation.
