A man armed with two kitchen knives lunged at a young woman in a Paris street before being pinned down by a crowd using a chair – but not before stabbing three women, one of them pregnant, in a terrifying rampage that left two in critical condition.
Video footage verified by Reuters shows a man with long black hair, wearing a cream tracksuit and wielding a large knife in each hand, stabbing a woman. The clip then shows him immobilised on the floor, surrounded by a group of people who had stopped him.
“Pregnant woman among three stabbed in Paris knife rampage; suspect arrested after shouting 'Allah ordered me'”
The attack took place at about 9.30am near Porte de Clichy in northwest Paris. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters the man targeted three women aged 19, 24 and 36, severely wounding two of them. According to a witness speaking to Le Figaro, one of the victims was pregnant.
Two victims remain in critical condition after being rushed to hospital. Local media report one woman was hit in the lower back, the other in the abdomen.
The 31-year-old suspect, believed by police to have mental health issues, was arrested at the scene. Le Figaro reported that as he was being detained, the man declared: "It is Allah who ordered me." But Nunez said the attacker's declarations were "incoherent" and police could not verify his identity. The motive remains unknown.
Nunez confirmed the man was detained by an off-duty police officer. "I pay tribute to him, it was a courageous act," the minister added.
Footage posted on social media also shows the man holding a knife while crossing traffic. The three victims were treated by paramedics in the street before being taken to hospital, their conditions still critical.
