Paris Knife Attack: 2 Tourists Among 7 Injured, Attacker Nabbed
The reports said the man was armed with a knife and a metal bar, and first attacked three people outside the cinema.
Seven people were injured in a knife attack in central Paris late Sunday, 9 September, but police said that terrorism was not suspected.
Two British tourists were among those injured, broadcaster BFMTV and Le Parisien newspaper reported. Authorities were trying to determine if the attacker, who was arrested, is among the seven injured. Le Parisien said the attacker is an Afghan national.
The attack took place roughly around 11 pm, The New York Times reported.
An overnight police press officer said the attack took place near a cinema in the 19th district of Paris. The officer had no information about the identities of the injured. The Paris prosecutors' office is handling the investigation.
The reports said the man was armed with a knife and a metal bar, and first attacked three people outside the cinema.
A group of men playing pétanque, a popular game in France, reportedly tried to stop the attacker, with one of them even throwing the pétanque ball at him. However, the attacker dodged their attempts and went towards the side street and attacked more people, The New York Times said in its report.
According to the police, of the seven injured, four are in a critical condition, The Telegraph reports. Of the two British tourists, one encountered a chest injury while the other was stabbed in the head.
Mounir Mahjoubi, the junior minister for digital affairs in the French government, tweeted out thanking those who tried to stop the attacker, by saying:
(With inputs from AP, The New York Times and The Telegraph)
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