One killed, four injured in Paris knife attack

World
Europe

00:50

The assailant of the Paris knife attack was a Russian born in Chechnya in 1997 named by French police as Khamzat A..

The suspect was shot dead after he randomly attacked bystanders with a knife in central Paris on Saturday night, leaving one person dead and four others wounded.

A friend of the Chechen-born man has been arrested in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, a source close to the inquiry confirmed. Both of his parents are aslo being held for questioning by French police.

ISIL has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Saturday's incident took place in the Opera district of central Paris, and the site was about 400 meters away from Paris Opera House.

The dead was a 29-year-old passer-by, Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said but gave no further details.

Four other people were also injured. Among them, one Chinese national sustained slight injuries, the Chinese embassy in France later confirmed on its website

Following the attack, French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: "France has once again paid in blood, but will not give an inch to the enemies of freedom."

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb also denounced the "heinous act" and praised the police's "composure" and swift reaction to neutralize the attacker.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Sunday said France bears "full responsibility" for the knife attack blamed on a Chechen-born Frenchman that left one dead and four wounded in Paris.

"He may have been born in Chechnya, but he grew up and formed his personality, his opinions and convictions within French society," AFP quoted Kadyrov as saying.

French authorities have opened a terror investigation into the attack.

(With input from Xinhua and AFP)

8226km