Marseille knife attack: two women killed, assailant shot dead
- 7 years ago
Two women were stabbed to death by a knifeman on Sunday at the main train station of the southern French city of Marseille.
Patrolling soldiers shot the assailant dead, according to police.
French media reported that one of the women had her throat slit, while the second woman was stabbed in the chest.
The victims were between 17 and 20 years old, police union Unsa-Police said in a statement.
Marseille : L’idéologie barbare frappe à nouveau des innocentes pic.twitter.com/uxDag81Boq— UNSA POLICE (@UNSAPOLICE) October 1, 2017
L’attaque a eu lieu vers 13H45, sur le parvis de la gare principale de Marseille. L’une des jeunes filles aurait été égorgée, et l’autre poignardée, selon une source proche de l’enquête. Aucun militaire n’a été blessé. Selon le syndicat Unsa-Police, les deux jeunes filles étaient âgées de 17 et 20 ans.
L’assaillant, âgé d’une trentaine d’années et qui ne portait pas de papiers d’identité sur lui, selon cette source. Il a été rapidement abattu par des militaires de Sentinelle. Les enquêteurs cherchent encore à l’identifier.
What do we know about the assailant?
The man shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest” in Arabic), according to police sources, who described the attack as a “likely terrorist act.”
The assailant was carrying a butcher’s knife, was around 30 years old and of North African appearance, police sources told Reuters news agency.
One source told AFP no ID documents were found on him, but that police identified him using his fingerprints. He was known to authorities for common law crimes, the source added.
French TV station France 2 reported the man was known to police under seven different identities for close to a dozen petty crimes. However, he was not known to anti-terrorism services and was not on France’s terror watchlist.
LATEST: Two dead in Marseille knife attack. Significant incidents in Marseille since August 15. (Graphic by IntellFusion) #SaintCharles pic.twitter.com/i8De6jSJTU— Keith Walker (KeithWalkerNews) October 1, 2017
Where did the attack happen?
The attack happened at around 13:45 CET on the public square of Gare Saint-Charles, Marseille’s main railway station.
Early in the afternoon, police cordoned off the area and called on the public to avoid it altogether.
The SNCF railway operator urged people to avoid all travel to the transport hub. Some 200 trains were diverted or were left waiting at regional stations. In the evening, traffic was gradually restarting.
Gare Saint Charles is the same railway station where just two weeks ago four American college students were attacked with acid by a psychologically disturbed woman.
How did authorities react to the attack?
France’s counter-terrorism prosecutor opened an investigation into Sunday’s stabbings.
The country has been on high alert, with soldiers and armed police posted to high-profile locations, following a string of deadly attacks by Islamist militants stretching back more than two years.
“Profoundly outraged by this barbaric act, in pain with the families and relatives of the Marseille victims,” President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter. He praised the swift reaction of French security services, including the Operation Sentinelle soldiers set up to deal with such threats.
The French government decided last month to maintain the military force of 7,000 soldiers that was created to protect sensitive sites after the deadly extremist attacks of 2015
Interior Minister Gerard Collomb headed to Marseille on Sunday afternoon, where he met with local officials.
French lawmakers are due to vote on a much-criticised anti-terrorism law on Tuesday, which would enshrine some state-of-emergency powers into law and could reduce the number of military personnel on the ground.
French officials say two women killed in knife attack at Marseille train station; counterterror probe opened. https://t.co/7K9djN2MjX— The Associated Press (@AP) October 1, 2017
Patrolling soldiers shot the assailant dead, according to police.
French media reported that one of the women had her throat slit, while the second woman was stabbed in the chest.
The victims were between 17 and 20 years old, police union Unsa-Police said in a statement.
Marseille : L’idéologie barbare frappe à nouveau des innocentes pic.twitter.com/uxDag81Boq— UNSA POLICE (@UNSAPOLICE) October 1, 2017
L’attaque a eu lieu vers 13H45, sur le parvis de la gare principale de Marseille. L’une des jeunes filles aurait été égorgée, et l’autre poignardée, selon une source proche de l’enquête. Aucun militaire n’a été blessé. Selon le syndicat Unsa-Police, les deux jeunes filles étaient âgées de 17 et 20 ans.
L’assaillant, âgé d’une trentaine d’années et qui ne portait pas de papiers d’identité sur lui, selon cette source. Il a été rapidement abattu par des militaires de Sentinelle. Les enquêteurs cherchent encore à l’identifier.
What do we know about the assailant?
The man shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest” in Arabic), according to police sources, who described the attack as a “likely terrorist act.”
The assailant was carrying a butcher’s knife, was around 30 years old and of North African appearance, police sources told Reuters news agency.
One source told AFP no ID documents were found on him, but that police identified him using his fingerprints. He was known to authorities for common law crimes, the source added.
French TV station France 2 reported the man was known to police under seven different identities for close to a dozen petty crimes. However, he was not known to anti-terrorism services and was not on France’s terror watchlist.
LATEST: Two dead in Marseille knife attack. Significant incidents in Marseille since August 15. (Graphic by IntellFusion) #SaintCharles pic.twitter.com/i8De6jSJTU— Keith Walker (KeithWalkerNews) October 1, 2017
Where did the attack happen?
The attack happened at around 13:45 CET on the public square of Gare Saint-Charles, Marseille’s main railway station.
Early in the afternoon, police cordoned off the area and called on the public to avoid it altogether.
The SNCF railway operator urged people to avoid all travel to the transport hub. Some 200 trains were diverted or were left waiting at regional stations. In the evening, traffic was gradually restarting.
Gare Saint Charles is the same railway station where just two weeks ago four American college students were attacked with acid by a psychologically disturbed woman.
How did authorities react to the attack?
France’s counter-terrorism prosecutor opened an investigation into Sunday’s stabbings.
The country has been on high alert, with soldiers and armed police posted to high-profile locations, following a string of deadly attacks by Islamist militants stretching back more than two years.
“Profoundly outraged by this barbaric act, in pain with the families and relatives of the Marseille victims,” President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter. He praised the swift reaction of French security services, including the Operation Sentinelle soldiers set up to deal with such threats.
The French government decided last month to maintain the military force of 7,000 soldiers that was created to protect sensitive sites after the deadly extremist attacks of 2015
Interior Minister Gerard Collomb headed to Marseille on Sunday afternoon, where he met with local officials.
French lawmakers are due to vote on a much-criticised anti-terrorism law on Tuesday, which would enshrine some state-of-emergency powers into law and could reduce the number of military personnel on the ground.
French officials say two women killed in knife attack at Marseille train station; counterterror probe opened. https://t.co/7K9djN2MjX— The Associated Press (@AP) October 1, 2017