Police in Paris shoot and kill knife-wielding man at ceremony under Arc de Triomphe

FRENCH POLICE SHOT and killed a knife-wielding man under the Arc de Triomphe today after he allegedly threatened officers carrying out a ceremonial duty at the Paris landmark, officials said.

France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, which took charge of the case, said the suspect, a French citizen born in 1978, had died of his wounds after being taken to hospital.

The man had previously been sentenced to 17 years in prison on attempted murder, terror and other charges in Belgium for attacking three police officers there in 2012, the office said.

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The suspect was shot several times by police as he threatened officers during the ceremony to rekindle the flame at the tomb of the unknown soldier, a police source told AFP.

The man, who was registered as a resident of the northern Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, was known to authorities, said a source close to the case, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

One of the officers on honour guard duty sustained slight injuries from a knife blow before another officer opened fire on the attacker, according to the gendarmerie police force.

- © AFP 2026