Knife-wielding man attacks police in Paris, days before Olympics

It was the second stabbing in the French capital this week amid a strict security clampdown

A police officer was critically injured in a stabbing attack in central Paris on Thursday, just days before the start of the Olympic Games in the French capital.

The officer was attacked in the high-end shopping district of the Champs Elysees as he was responding to a call from security personnel at a store, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on X (formerly Twitter).

A guard at a Louis Vuitton boutique had called police after spotting a man who appeared to be carrying a knife, said Paris police chief Laurent Nunez, as quoted by Reuters.

The assailant “pulled out a knife and threatened [the officers], tried to stab them multiple times, and succeeded in stabbing,” Nunez told reporters who had gathered outside of the store after the incident, according to the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

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The police officer was stabbed in the ear, neck and collarbone, Le Parisien newspaper reported. He was taken to hospital in a critical but non-life-threatening condition. The assailant was shot in the abdomen and died of his injuries, AP reported, citing the Paris prosecutor’s office. According to media reports, the suspect was 27 years old, and of Senegalese nationality.

The attack did not appear to be linked to the Olympics and no terrorist motive is suspected, the police said.

The incident comes just days after a man stabbed a soldier patrolling the streets outside a train station in Paris. The assailant was taken to a psychiatric hospital, AP reported, citing French prosecutors. France is on the highest security alert as it prepares to host millions of visitors at the Paris Olympic Games, which start on July 26.

Police imposed strict security measures in the center of the capital on Thursday in preparation for the opening ceremony, which will be held along the Seine River instead of in a closed stadium.