A tense incident occurred in central Paris when a man armed with a knife tried to attack police officers during the Eternal Flame ceremony honoring the Unknown Soldier at the Tomb beneath the Arc de Triomphe.
Paris police officers revealed that the assailant targeted a policeman on duty securing the Eternal Flame ceremony, which commemorates soldiers who died in war beneath the monument built during Emperor Napoleon's era at the Arc de Triomphe. Another officer fired his weapon to stop the assailant, causing the man to be injured and immediately taken to hospital, where he later died.
Reports stated that no civilians or police officers were injured during the incident, as authorities quickly brought the situation under control.
The Arc de Triomphe is one of France's most important symbols, located on the Champs-Élysées, a bustling tourist and commercial area in central Paris. The incident caused alarm among those present in the vicinity.
The French anti-terrorism prosecutor's office confirmed it has opened an investigation and dispatched officers to the scene to assess the motivation and feasibility of the attack. It was reported that the suspect had been released from prison in December after serving a 12-year sentence related to terrorism offenses.
. France24
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