Knife Attack At Paris Train Station; 6 Injured
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
PARIS (Worthy News) – Officials say at least six people have been injured in a knife attack at one of the world’s busiest train stations in Paris, France.
A man was seen stabbing people with a knife at Gare du Nord train station early Wednesday, but French police detained the suspect, authorities said.
The suspect was believed to be a man in his 20s born in Libya or Algeria, the prosecutor’s office said. More details were not immediately released.
Train traffic was temporarily halted after the incident.
Flanked by heavily armed police, Gérald Darmanin, the French interior minister, told reporters at the station that at 6:42 a.m., an “extremely threatening individual” had stabbed several bystanders in front of the station.
The man then continued attacking people inside during the busy commuter rush, the minister explained.
Wednesday’s assault was sudden, random, and highly violent, stressed Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, adding that the suspect had stabbed his first victim at least 20 times.
METAL HOOK
He used a metal hook that had been sharpened and wrapped with string, “allowing a better grip,” Beccuau explained.
Border police officers stationed at the Gare du Nord, as well as off-duty officers who were armed and present, responded within a minute, Minister Darmanin added.
Two of the police officers fired three shots at the suspect and subdued him, Darmanin confirmed.
The man was arrested and hospitalized with severe injuries and was not immediately questioned by police, noted Beccuau, who added she opened “a criminal investigation for attempted murder.”
The attack injured six people: two men and three women ages 36 to 53, and one of the border police officers, according to investigators. Five victims were slightly wounded, and the sixth sustained more serious injuries, but his life was not in danger, Beccuau said.
Paris Gare du Nord is one of the biggest and busiest train stations in Europe. It serves the northern suburbs of Paris and is a terminus on the London to Paris Channel Tunnel route.
Wednesday’s attack came at a time when French security forces remain on high alert following several deadly terror attacks, often linked to Islamic extremism, in recent years.
If you are interested in articles produced by Worthy News, please check out our FREE sydication service available to churches or online Christian ministries. To find out more, visit Worthy Plugins.