Paris. One person was killed and two police officers were seriously injured in a knife attack in eastern France on Saturday. President Emmanuel Macron said it was an 'Islamic terrorist attack'. Prosecutors said three more officers were slightly injured in the attack. Prosecutor Nicolas Heitz told AFP that the attack was carried out by a 37-year-old suspect, who is included in the Terror Prevention Watchlist (FSPRT). The attack took place in the French city of Mulhouse, which is located near Germany and Switzerland. The suspect has been arrested.
France's National Anti-Terror Prosecutors Unit (PNAT), which handled the investigation, said the suspect first attacked municipal police officers and shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest). Eyewitnesses confirmed to AFP that the suspect repeatedly shouted the words, which are used by Muslims as a proclamation of their religion.
A civilian passerby who tried to stop the attack was badly injured, the PNAT said in a statement. According to Mulhouse prosecutors, the injured man was a 69-year-old Portuguese citizen. Macron said there was no doubt that the incident was "a terrorist attack", specifically "an Islamist terrorist attack". Macron said the government stood firm in doing "everything to eradicate terrorism on our soil".
The FSPRT watchlist collects data from various authorities on individuals with the aim of preventing "terrorist" radicalisation. It was launched in 2015 after deadly attacks on the offices of the magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket. Heitz said one of the seriously injured police officers was injured in the carotid artery, while the other in the chest.
The attack took place at around 4 pm (local time). Military units were sent to the scene as backup and forensic scientists have started searching for evidence. According to union sources, the Algerian-born suspect has been placed under judicial surveillance and house arrest, as well as an expulsion order from France.
Mulhouse Mayor Michel Lutz said on Facebook: "Terror has taken over our city." He said the incident was being investigated as a terrorist attack, but "obviously this must first be confirmed by the court". PNAT said it was investigating the attack for murder and attempted murder "in connection with a terrorist attack".
