One killed and several police officers injured in suspected terror attack in France

By Josef Al Shemary

One person has been killed and several others, including police officers, have been injured in a knife attack in the east of France.

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A man attacked people with a knife at a canal market in Mulhouse, near the German border in Eastern France on Saturday afternoon.

The attack, which has left one person dead and several others injured, has been called an Islamist terror attack by French President Emmanuel Macron.

In a video published on X, he expressed "the nation's solidarity" with the victim's relatives and called the incident "an act of Islamist terrorism", "which is beyond doubt".

Speaking from the Salon de l'Agriculture, Macron said: "The determination is complete and we will take every useful action to respond to what happened."

The suspect, a 37-year-old man, was arrested and had been on a terror watchlist, according to French media.

Michele Lutz, the local mayor, confirmed the news in a post on Facebook.

Several police officers who tried to stop the attacker were injured, she said, adding that "the terrorist track seems to be favoured for the moment."

"Horror has just gripped our city," she added.

A suspect was arrested, according to regional newspaper BFM Alsace. The public prosecutor said the man is on file for the prevention of terrorism, according to the newspaper.

The incident took place in the afternoon, near a covered market. A 69-year-old Portuguese man died while 'intervening' in the attack.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou posted on X that "fanaticism has struck again" and that France is "in mourning."

"My thoughts naturally go to the victims and their families, with the firm hope that the injured will recover," he added, as he extended "Congratulations to the police for their rapid intervention."

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