Officials reported that a French soldier was stabbed outside a train station in Paris on Monday. Authorities arrested the assailant, as the city is under heightened security measures just 11 days before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Paris public prosecutor's office stated that the soldier was hospitalized with a shoulder wound but is in stable condition, and the motive behind the attack is still under investigation.
The prosecutor's office announced that an investigation into attempted murder had been opened and the identity of the suspect had been confirmed. At this stage, authorities have not identified terrorism as a motive, according to the national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office. The soldier was among thousands deployed in Operation Sentinel, established to protect prominent French sites following a series of attacks by extremists in 2015, where several soldiers from the unit have previously been targeted.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin posted on X that the soldier was on patrol at the Gare de l'Est train station in eastern Paris and that the attacker was arrested. Paris plans to deploy around 30,000 police officers daily in preparation for the Olympic Games, which will run from July 26 to August 11, with the number rising to 45,000 officers for the opening ceremony on the Seine River. Additionally, about 18,000 military personnel will assist in providing security, including thousands stationed at a large camp set up on the outskirts of Paris.
