A convicted murderer was arrested in Paris tonight after stabbing a uniformed soldier on anti-terror duty at one of the French capital’s main train stations.
The Congolese-born man, who has not been identified but says he is a Christian, attacked shortly before 10pm on Monday at the Gare de L’Est (Eastern railway station) while shouting “God is great”.
“The attacker has been arrested,” said French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin, who confirmed that the suspect was 40 years old and well known to police.
His target was an infantryman taking part in Operation Sentinel, a mission to deter terrorists across France.
Wounded in the upper back, the soldier was still conscious when emergency services transported him to a nearby hospital.
A convicted murderer was arrested in Paris tonight after stabbing a uniformed soldier who was on anti-terrorist duty at one of the French capital’s main train stations. Pictured: French firefighters and soldiers at the scene of 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 knife-wielding suspect, in Paris on July 15, 2024.
The man, who was born in Congo and has not been identified but claims to be a Christian, attacked shortly before 10pm on Monday at the Gare de L’Est (Eastern railway station) while shouting “God is great”. Pictured: Soldiers at the scene after the attack
His health deteriorated during treatment and his condition late Monday night was “very serious.”
But “his condition is not life-threatening,” Darmanin said, adding that a security perimeter was put in place around the station shortly after the attack.
An investigative source said the arrested man had “psychological problems” and was known for murdering someone in the Chatelet area of Paris in 2018.
Sébastien Lecornu, Minister for the Armed Forces, tweeted: ‘Thoughts for the soldier injured this afternoon at the Gare de l’Est, deployed as part of Operation Sentinel.
“Support and recognition for our armed forces, which are contributing more than ever to ensuring the security of the French people.”
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.
Many will arrive at stations such as Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord (the main Eurostar hub for trains to London), located next door.
The incident follows a series of bomb, gun and knife attacks by Islamic State and al-Qaeda operatives over the past decade.
The deadliest terrorist attack in France occurred in November 2015, when 130 people were killed in one night in Paris.
Suicide bombers pledging allegiance to ISIS attacked the Stade de France, cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan music hall, killing 90 people.
Earlier this year, two Paris-born gunmen linked to al-Qaeda stormed the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 17 people inside and three outside.
In July 2016, 86 people were arrested and more than 400 injured when a 19-tonne truck was deliberately driven into a crowd 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 gardening outside the Gare de l’Est station after the attack.
Investigators exchanged notes as they assessed the scene after the attack.
Paris is currently on the highest possible security alert level 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 knife attack
And in October 2020, three people were stabbed to death by a Tunisian immigrant at the Notre Dame Basilica in Nice.
There have also been frequent knife attacks against law enforcement, resulting in the deaths of on-duty 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 prosecutor’s office is preparing to open an investigation into the latest attack.
CCTV footage showed the man “stalking a military patrol” for about four minutes before attacking, an investigative source said.
“He launched a ferocious attack on a soldier, before knocking 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 independence in 1960.
The man is believed to have murdered a 22-year-old man in 2018 and was later admitted to a psychiatric institution.
He was released early and banned from carrying a weapon or working with other people, the source said.
A witness to the latest stabbing of a soldier at the police station told Le Parisien: “There was a huge crowd movement. And suddenly there were a lot of police officers. The guy fell to the ground.”
One station employee told the same outlet: “I’ve been working here for 18 years and I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s really terrible.”
The attack comes less than two weeks before the opening of the Paris Olympic Games on July 26.