Police swiftly neutralize threat beneath historic monument honoring fallen soldiers in Paris.
A man armed with a knife attempted to attack police officers during a ceremonial event beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Friday, prompting a rapid armed response from security forces.
The incident occurred during the relighting of the eternal flame — a solemn ceremony honoring France’s unknown soldiers. According to police officials, the suspect targeted an officer assigned to secure the event. Another officer immediately opened fire, wounding the attacker, who was subsequently hospitalized.
Authorities confirmed that no police officers or civilians were injured.
The French counterterrorism prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation and dispatched specialists to examine the circumstances surrounding the attack.
France has remained on heightened alert following a series of major Islamist terrorist attacks over the past decade. Among the most devastating were the January 2015 assaults on Charlie Hebdo and the Hyper Cacher supermarket, as well as the November 2015 coordinated attacks across Paris claimed by ISIS that killed 130 people.
Friday’s attempted stabbing underscores the ongoing security challenges facing French authorities, particularly during high-profile public commemorations at symbolic national sites.
