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Romans-sur-Isère: France launches terror probe after knife attack | |
(about 11 hours later) | |
Two people have been killed and five wounded in a knife attack in south-east France, in what the interior minister called a terrorist incident. | |
Witnesses said the attacker entered a tobacconist in the town of Romans-sur-Isère, near Grenoble, and stabbed the owners and a customer. | Witnesses said the attacker entered a tobacconist in the town of Romans-sur-Isère, near Grenoble, and stabbed the owners and a customer. |
He attacked more people at two other shops before being arrested. | |
Prosecutors said the suspect was a Sudanese refugee in his 30s who lived in the town. | |
At the time of his arrest, the man was "found on his knees on the pavement praying in Arabic", prosecutors said. | |
David Olivier Reverdy, of the National Police Alliance union, said the man had asked police to kill him. | |
Counter-terrorism prosecutors said they had launched an investigation into "murder linked to a terrorist enterprise". | |
The suspect was not previously known to the police or intelligence services, news website France Bleu reported. | |
On a visit to the town, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said: "This morning, a man embarked on a terrorist journey." | |
Town mayor Marie-Helene Thoraval told AFP news agency that after leaving the tobacconist, the suspect went to a butcher's shop where he grabbed another knife before attacking people queuing outside a bakery. | |
The butcher's shop owner, Ludovic Breyton, said: "He took a knife, jumped over the counter, and stabbed a customer, then ran away. My wife tried to help the victim but in vain." | |
In a statement, the prosecutor's office said initial investigations suggest the attacker had "a determined murderous course aimed at seriously disturbing public order by intimidation or terror". | In a statement, the prosecutor's office said initial investigations suggest the attacker had "a determined murderous course aimed at seriously disturbing public order by intimidation or terror". |
During a search of the suspect's home, "handwritten documents with religious connotations were found", it said. | During a search of the suspect's home, "handwritten documents with religious connotations were found", it said. |
Prosecutors said they arrested a second person on Saturday who, according to France Bleu, was living with the attacker. | |
Two of the wounded are said to be in a critical condition. | Two of the wounded are said to be in a critical condition. |
President Emmanuel Macron described the attack as an "odious" incident that further saddened a country already going through an ordeal. | President Emmanuel Macron described the attack as an "odious" incident that further saddened a country already going through an ordeal. |
"My thoughts are with the victims of the Romans-sur-Isère attack - the injured, their families," he tweeted. | "My thoughts are with the victims of the Romans-sur-Isère attack - the injured, their families," he tweeted. |
Mr Macron promised that "light will be shed" on the crime. | Mr Macron promised that "light will be shed" on the crime. |
France is currently in lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. People are only allowed out to buy basic necessities or for exercise. | France is currently in lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. People are only allowed out to buy basic necessities or for exercise. |
The country has been on high alert since 2015, when Paris was hit by a series of attacks attributed to the Islamic State group. | The country has been on high alert since 2015, when Paris was hit by a series of attacks attributed to the Islamic State group. |