A Frenchman attempting to stab police officers at Paris's busy Gare du Nord train station has been shot dead. The man was reportedly armed with a 12-inch knife and had attacked two police officers who were on patrol.
Local media reports said an inscription condemning the police was inscribed on the knife used in the attack. Officials said no police officers were seriously injured during the incident, which occurred on Monday morning. Officials claimed that the incident was an isolated attack and was not terrorism-related.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said in a post on social media that police did what they had to do and used their firearms to stop the man, who was threatening officers and travelers at the train station.
A witness told reporters that the man was armed with a large knife and was threatening two police officers who were both armed. Everyone at the Eurostar platform was told by officers to lie on the ground until the issue was resolved.
Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said the man was known to have loitered around the train station. Djebbari agreed with Darmanin that police were left with no choice but to use their weapons to stop the violent man. The Paris prosecutor's office said it would be conducting an investigation on the incident.
The platform where the incident took place has been temporarily closed down, and a security perimeter has been set up at the departure level. As a result, some trains were delayed, including some of the international Eurostar trains. The 7 a.m. Eurostar route from Paris to London was canceled, and services departing later in the morning were also delayed due to the closure.
Gunshots can be heard in the background of dramatic footage uploaded on social media, which appears to show a commotion inside the railway station when armed cops engaged the man wielding the large knife.
The Gare du Nord is one of Europe's largest stations, acting as a hub for high-speed trains traveling to and from various European destinations. It is also home to international rail services connecting France to the United Kingdom and Belgium, making it one of Europe's busiest train stations.
Concerns about violent crime and terrorism are among the top concerns for French voters as they prepare to vote in the presidential election in April. There have been several terrorist attacks in France over the past few years, most notably in 2020, when there were six major incidents perpetrated by Islamic extremists.
