French police have shot a 40-year-old Sudanese man who attempted to assault passengers with a butcher knife. The man, dressed in a North African djellaba robe, reportedly asked a fellow traveler for a lighter, resorting to brandishing a chef’s blade from his garment when refused. The threatened passenger managed to dodge the attacks and promptly informed the authorities.
As reported in Le Figaro, the police arrived to find the Sudanese individual wielding a butcher’s knife and clutching a notebook filled with Arabic inscriptions. The officers ordered the man to lower his weapon; however, his refusal to obey while responding in Arabic compelled the police to employ Tasers initially. Despite these measures, the man carried on charging towards the officers, which led to the discharge of about twenty rounds from police firearms—resulting in his immediate death from a bullet to his head.
In the wake of this incident, the Paris prosecutor’s office has launched two separate investigations: one for “attempted intentional homicide against a person holding public authority” leveled against the Sudanese man, and another exploring potential charges of “intentional violence by police officers leading to death” against the officers involved. The attack occurred within days of a separate knife assault at a Paris train station, indicating a potential worrying trend. However, French authorities have not categorized either incident as an act of terrorism.
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