The knifeman who killed one person and wounded four others in a suspected terror attack in central Paris was born in Chechnya in 1997, a judicial source said on Sunday.
Armed with a knife, the attacker lunged at bystanders in the French capital on Saturday night, killing at least one man and injuring four others before being shot dead by police.
The assailant shouted ‘Allahu Akhbar’ (Arabic for God is greatest) as he struck pedestrians. Two of the injured were in serious condition. His parents have been taken into custody, the source added.
The attacker has been named as Khamzat A – a French citizen who was on the terror watch list.
Islamic State of the Iraq and the Levant (Isil) claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the SITE monitoring group, but provided no corroborating proof.
In a tweet, the French President Emmanuel Macron said: “France is paying the price of blood once again but is not yielding an inch to the enemies of freedom
“I salute on behalf of all French people the courage of the police officers who neutralised the terrorist,” he added
The attack took place around 9pm on rue Monsigny in the heart of Paris near the Palais Garnier Opera House in the 2nd arrondissement. The area, which has many cafés, restaurants, cinemas and theatres, was packed with people out for the evening.
