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A man wielding two kitchen knives stabbed three women on Monday morning in the Porte de Clichy area of northern Paris. The three victims, aged 19, 24, and 36, received serious injuries, but none were in life-threatening condition, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters on Monday.
The suspected attacker stabbed one woman in the lower back and another in the abdomen before an off-duty police officer arrested the man, Nunez said. The third woman injured received lighter injuries constituting a non-critical emergency, he added. Geoffroy Boulard, mayor of the northwest 17th district where the attack occurred, said that one victim was pregnant. The condition of the pregnant victim and her baby remained unclear.
What is known about the suspect? The suspect gave authorities a name, but police found no formal documents confirming his identity. Nunez cautioned the public against assigning motive and noted that police characterized the suspect as making incoherent statements. Footage of the attack’s aftermath began circulating online, showing the suspected attacker pinned on the ground and telling bystanders that Allah ordered him to carry out the attacks.
French National Assembly deputy Sophia Chikirou released a Monday morning statement describing the attacker as suffering from a psychiatric disorder. Paris’ collapsed mental medical system must be reformed, she said.