A convicted murderer was arrested in Paris tonight after stabbing a uniformed soldier who was conducting an anti-terrorist operation at one of the French capital’s main train stations.
The Congolese-born man, whose name has not been released but who claims to be a Christian, struck at the Gare de L’Est (East) station just before 10pm on Monday night, shouting “God is Great”.
“The attacker has been arrested,” said French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin, who confirmed that the suspect is 40 years old and known to police.
He targeted an infantryman taking part in Operation Sentinel, a mission to deter terrorists across France.
The soldier was wounded in his upper back but was still conscious when emergency services took him to a nearby hospital.
A convicted murderer was arrested in Paris tonight after stabbing a uniformed soldier carrying out anti-terrorist duties at one of the French capital’s main train stations. Pictured: French firefighters and soldiers at the scene after the attack
A police officer stands guard outside the Gare de l’Est train station after the soldier was wounded in the shoulder by the suspect who wielded the knife, in Paris on July 15, 2024
The Congolese-born man, who has not been named but who claims to be a Christian, struck at Gare de L’Est (East Station) just before 10pm on Monday night, shouting “God is Great”. Pictured: Soldiers at the scene after the attack
During treatment his health deteriorated and by late Monday evening his condition was ‘very serious’.
But “his condition is not life-threatening,” said Mr Darmanin, who said a security perimeter had been set up around the station shortly after the attack.
According to a source in the investigation, the arrested man had “mental problems” and was known for the murder of someone in the Chatelet district of Paris in 2018.
Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu tweeted: “We are thinking of the soldier who was injured this evening at the Gare de l’Est, deployed as part of Operation Sentinel.
‘Support and recognition for our armed forces, which contribute more than ever to ensuring the security of the French people.’
Paris is currently in the highest possible security situation as it prepares to welcome millions of people for the 2024 Summer Olympics, which begin later this month.
Many will arrive at stations such as Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord, the main Eurostar hub from where trains run to London, which is right on the doorstep.
It follows a series of bombings, gun and knife attacks by members of Islamic State and al-Qaeda over the past decade.
The deadliest terrorist attack ever in France took place in November 2015, when 130 people were killed in Paris in one night.
Suicide bombers pledging allegiance to ISIS targeted the Stade de France, cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan music venue, killing 90 people.
Earlier this year, two Paris-born gunmen with ties to Al-Qaeda stormed the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 17 people inside and three outside.
In July 2016, 86 people were called to the scene and more than 400 people were injured when a 19-ton truck deliberately drove into crowds on the seafront in Nice, on the Mediterranean coast.
That same month, two ISIS terrorists murdered an 86-year-old Catholic priest during a church service in Normandy.
A French soldier was busy gardening the doors of the Gare de l’Est station after the attack
Investigators exchanged notes as they mapped the crime scene after the attack
Paris is currently on the highest possible security alert as it prepares to welcome millions of people for the 2024 Summer Olympics, which begin later this month. Pictured: A soldier outside Gare de l’Est station after the stabbing
And in October 2020, three people were stabbed to death by a Tunisian immigrant in the Notre Dame Basilica in Nice.
There were also regular knife attacks on law enforcement officers, including the deaths of police officers.
Terrorists have also targeted teachers, such as Samuel Paty, who was beheaded in the Paris suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine in 2020.
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office will launch an investigation into the latest attack.
According to a source close to the investigation, surveillance cameras showed the man “chasing a military patrol” for about four minutes before striking.
“He carried out a brutal attack on a soldier before dragging him to the ground and arresting him,” the source said.
During an initial interview, the man reportedly blamed French soldiers for killing civilians “in my country,” he said, referring to the Republic of Congo.
The Republic was a French colony from the 1880s, under various names, until its independence in 1960.
The man is said to have murdered a 22-year-old man in 2018 and was subsequently admitted to a psychiatric institution.
He was released early and banned from carrying weapons and working with other people, the source said.
A witness to the latest stabbing of a soldier at the station told Le Parisien: ‘It caused a big crowd. And suddenly there were a lot of police. The man was thrown to the ground.’
And a station employee told the same news outlet: ‘I’ve been working here for 18 years and I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s really horrible.’
This attack takes place less than two weeks before the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris, on July 26.
