A police officer was wounded in a knife attack in the Champs-Élysées neighborhood of Paris on Thursday, with the assailant being immediately ‘neutralized’, according to authorities. The attack occurred in the 8th arrondissement as police were responding to a call from officers securing a store. The French capital is already on high security alert just days before the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics on July 26.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed the incident and stated that the perpetrator was quickly neutralized by police officers. The attacker is still alive, but officers were able to prevent any further harm. This attack follows another incident earlier in the week when a man stabbed and wounded a French soldier outside the Gare de l’Est train station in Paris. The attacker in that case was taken to a psychiatric hospital.
Darmanin will continue in his caretaker role at the interior ministry until a new government is formed following recent legislative elections. The details surrounding the motive of the attacker in the knife attack in the 8th arrondissement are still being investigated. The recent incidents underline the ongoing security concerns in Paris, especially with the Summer Olympics fast approaching.
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