Knifeman 'kills mother and sister' in attack near Paris
AFP/The Local France - [email protected]
Published: 23 Aug, 2018 CET.
Updated: Thu 23 Aug 2018 15:54 CET
The two people killed in a knife attack on Thursday in the Paris suburb of Trappes were the knifeman's sister and mother, a security source told AFP.
A third person was seriously injured by the attacker, who has been killed by police, local authorities said.
The man, who police said had been on a terror watch list since 2016, was later shot and killed after confronting police in Trappes.
Rue Camille Claude in Trappes, where the double homicide took place. Photo: Google Streetview
The motive for the violence remains unclear, but the Islamic State group claimed the attack via its propaganda channel.
Experts urge caution about the group's announcements, however, because it has lost credibility after recently claiming seemingly unrelated violence as it faces defeat on the battlefield in the Middle East.
Police at the scene of the murder in Trappes. Photo: Brut Screenshot
BFM TV reported that the man was born in 1982 and the man had been on the terror watch list after expressing extremist views, a police source said.
France's Interior Minister Gerard Collomb tweeted (see below): "The man has been neutralized. My first thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones.
"I want to congratulate the French police for their quick response time and exemplary mobilisation.
"They are already investigating to establish the circumstances of this tragedy."
#Trappes : l’individu a été neutralisé.
Mes premières pensées vont aux victimes et leurs proches.
Je veux saluer la réactivité et la mobilisation exemplaire de nos forces de l’ordre.
Elles enquêtent d’ores et déjà pour établir les circonstances de ce drame.
— Gérard Collomb (@gerardcollomb) August 23, 2018
Trappes has a population of around 30,000 and is part of the far suburbs of the greater Paris area.
Only a short drive from the wealthy area of Versailles, home to the world-famous Versailles Palace, the town is known for problems linked to poverty, gangs and hardline interpretations of Islam.
It has a large Muslim population and about 50 locals are suspected of having left France to fight for the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, French security sources have previously told AFP.
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A third person was seriously injured by the attacker, who has been killed by police, local authorities said.
The man, who police said had been on a terror watch list since 2016, was later shot and killed after confronting police in Trappes.
Rue Camille Claude in Trappes, where the double homicide took place. Photo: Google Streetview
The motive for the violence remains unclear, but the Islamic State group claimed the attack via its propaganda channel.
Experts urge caution about the group's announcements, however, because it has lost credibility after recently claiming seemingly unrelated violence as it faces defeat on the battlefield in the Middle East.
Police at the scene of the murder in Trappes. Photo: Brut Screenshot
BFM TV reported that the man was born in 1982 and the man had been on the terror watch list after expressing extremist views, a police source said.
France's Interior Minister Gerard Collomb tweeted (see below): "The man has been neutralized. My first thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones.
"I want to congratulate the French police for their quick response time and exemplary mobilisation.
"They are already investigating to establish the circumstances of this tragedy."
#Trappes : l’individu a été neutralisé.
— Gérard Collomb (@gerardcollomb) August 23, 2018
Mes premières pensées vont aux victimes et leurs proches.
Je veux saluer la réactivité et la mobilisation exemplaire de nos forces de l’ordre.
Elles enquêtent d’ores et déjà pour établir les circonstances de ce drame.
Trappes has a population of around 30,000 and is part of the far suburbs of the greater Paris area.
Only a short drive from the wealthy area of Versailles, home to the world-famous Versailles Palace, the town is known for problems linked to poverty, gangs and hardline interpretations of Islam.
It has a large Muslim population and about 50 locals are suspected of having left France to fight for the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, French security sources have previously told AFP.
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