Paris Knife Attack Leaves Three Women Injured Near Porte de Clichy

Three Women Wounded in Knife Attack Near Porte de Clichy

Two of the victims sustained severe injuries, with one woman struck in the lower back and another in the abdomen, according to details provided by thelocal.fr. Both were listed in critical condition, though Interior Minister Nunez confirmed that their lives were not in danger, as noted by The Telegraph. A third woman sustained lighter injuries. Geoffroy Boulard, the mayor of the 17th arrondissement, stated on X that one of the victims is pregnant, according to khaleejtimes.com. All three injured women were treated by emergency services and transported to a hospital, as reported by france24.com.

Bystander Intervention and Arrest by Off-Duty Officer

Footage shared on Snapchat and verified by Reuters captured a man with long black hair, wearing a cream tracksuit, wielding a large knife in each hand and attempting to attack a young woman. Mohamed-Ali Bouhadjar, 26, who filmed and posted the video, told Reuters that he shouted to stop the attacker after seeing him stab a woman in the back.

Witnesses and bystanders intervened immediately at the scene. According to accounts gathered by khaleejtimes.com, a young man threw a suitcase at the suspect, knocking him to the ground and causing him to drop his knives, while a waiter from a nearby restaurant placed a chair on him. Bouhadjar added that he grabbed the suspect, swept his legs out from under him, and helped pin him to the ground alongside other bystanders. While immobilized on a pedestrian crossing, the suspect uttered, It is Allah who commanded me, according to video evidence and reports detailed by Fox News.

An off-duty police officer from the Paris police prefecture quickly arrived and detained the suspect at the scene, an action praised by Interior Minister Nunez as a courageous act, according to The Guardian. Following the arrest, authorities established a security perimeter, and the Porte de Clichy metro station was temporarily closed to passengers.

Investigation Into Motive and Suspect Identity

As of the initial response, French authorities have not verified the identity of the 31-year-old suspect, who provided only a declarative identity and made “incoherent” statements during his arrest, according to Anadolu Ajansı. Interior Minister Nunez urged caution regarding premature conclusions about the assailant’s motives, noting that the suspect is believed to suffer from psychiatric disorders, as reported by Anadolu Ajansı and france24.com.

The French national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office announced it was monitoring the procedure and considering whether to formally open an anti-terrorism investigation into the circumstances of the assault, as outlined by The Telegraph and france24.com.