One person was killed and two police officers were seriously injured in a knife attack in eastern France that President Emmanuel Macron said that there was a “Islamist terrorist act”.
Prosecutors said three more officers were mildly injured in the attack in the city of Mulhouse, a 37 -year -old suspect on a terrorist prevention on a wochelist, called FSPRT, prosecutor Nicolas Hetez told the AFP.
The suspect was arrested.
French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor Unit (PNAT), who took charge of the investigation, said the suspect attacked the municipal police officers for the first time, shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is the greatest).
The witnesses confirmed the AFP that the suspect had several times shouted words that were used by Muslims as an exclamation of their faith.
PNAT said in a statement that the intervention of a civilian passer was badly injured.
According to Mulhouse prosecutors, he was 69 -year -old Portuguese national.
Macron said that “no doubt” was that the incident was “a terrorist act”, especially “an Islamist terrorist act”.
Macron said that the government was firm to continue everything to eradicate terrorism on our soil “.
The FSPRT Wrachalist “terrorist” compiles data of various officers on individuals with the aim of preventing bigotry. It was launched in 2015 after a deadly attacks on Satire magazine Charlie Hebdo’s offices and a Jewish Supermarket.
One of the seriously injured police officers hurt the carotid artery, and the other thoracic, Hetez said.
Internal Minister Bruno Retillu was expected to travel to the scene of the attack later on Saturday.
The police set up a security parameter after the attack shortly before 4:00 pm (1500 GMT) during a demonstration.
The military units were sent to the scene as a backup and the forensic scientists discovered the evidence.
According to union sources, under the suspect, judicial supervision and house arrest, and under a removal order from France.
“Horror has seized our city,” the Mulhouse Mayor Michelle Lutz said on Facebook. The incident was being investigated as a terrorist attack, said, but “it should still be confirmed by the judiciary”.
PNAT stated that it is investigating the attack for murder, and attempt to murder “in relation to a terrorist enterprise”.
Macron, who spoke during the visit to the Agricultural Fair of France, said that the “solidarity of the nation” was with the attack and his family.
Prime Minister Francois Bairo said that “fanaticism has been again killed, and we are in mourning”.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)
