New Delhi: A 69-year-old man was stabbed to death and three police officers were injured in a knife attack near a crowded market in the eastern city of Mulhouse in France on Saturday. President Emmanuel Macron while condemning the attack, said the knife attack was “without any doubt an act of Islamist terrorism”. He also said that the French government is determined to respond to these attacks.
A 37-year-old Algerian man, identified as an Islamic extremist with a schizophrenic profile, was arrested by the authorities. The attack, which took place in a region bordering Germany and Switzerland, is now being investigated by France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office.
Suspect had previously been convicted of glorifying terrorism
The deceased, a Portuguese man, was stabbed when he tried to stop the attacker from knifing policemen. Among the injured was a parking control officer who was stabbed in the aorta and torso and remains hospitalised. Two others, including police officers, sustained lighter injuries.
Authorities reported that the attacker, armed with a knife and screwdriver, shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the assault. The suspect had previously been convicted of glorifying terrorism following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. After serving several months in prison, he was placed under house arrest as France attempted to deport him to Algeria.
Mulhouse mayor condemned the attack
Interior minister Bruno Retailleau criticised Algeria for refusing to accept deported criminals, highlighting ongoing tensions between the two nations. France has been on high alert for extremist threats, with officials citing recent attacks in Germany and other countries.
Mulhouse Mayor Michele Lutz voiced her shock. “Horror has seized our city,” she wrote on Facebook. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou denounced the attack, saying, “Fanaticism has struck once again, leaving us in mourning.”
