Authorities say a knife-wielding man stabbed several people in Paris on Saturday before he was shot and killed by police. The incident took place near the city’s famous opera house.
Local police say least four people were wounded — two severely and two with minor injuries — and at least one victim was killed in the attack. France’s interior minister Gerard Collomb said early Sunday the four people injured are out of danger.
Police have not yet revealed the suspect’s identity. His motive is currently unclear. Collomb says authorities are working to identify the assailant and anyone who helped him.
Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Saturday, based on testimonies, the attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar,” which is Arabic for “Allah is the Greatest.” The investigation has been has been handed to the anti-terrorism section of the prosecution office.
The news agency for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) later claimed the suspect in the attack was one of its “soldiers.”
Witnesses said the attacker ran toward police yelling “kill me or I’ll kill you.”
Video posted to social media showed police surrounding a man lying on the ground as bystanders in the area frantically fled the scene.
President Emmanuel Macron tweeted Saturday expressing condolences to victims and saying France will not cede to “enemies of freedom.” “France is once again paying the price of blood, but will not cede an inch to enemies of freedom,” he tweeted.
Interior Minister Gerard Collomb denounced the “odious attack” on Twitter and applauded police for quickly “neutralizing the attacker.” The first call to police was placed at 8:47 p.m. local time, officers were on the scene within five minutes, and the attacker was “neutralized” within nine minutes of that first call, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told reporters, Reuters reports.
CBS News’ Justin Carissimo, Elaine Cobbe and Karine Barzegar contributed to this report.
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