Two Toulouse municipal police officers stabbed while on duty amid «Allahu Akbar» shouts
Both officers suffered arm injuries and were taken to Rangueil University Hospital for medical treatment
Two Toulouse municipal police officers were stabbed on Monday while on duty in the city centre. The attacker was carrying several knives and allegedly shouted «Allahu Akbar» during the assault.
Knife attack in central Toulouse
The incident took place on Austerlitz Street, in central Toulouse, when the attacker approached a police vehicle and struck its interior with an object similar to an oyster-opening knife.
The two officers got out of the vehicle to try to restrain him. After taking one knife from the suspect, they discovered that he was carrying at least two additional bladed weapons, making the intervention particularly difficult.
The suspect was eventually subdued and arrested at the scene before being taken to hospital.
One knife came close to an officer’s carotid artery
Both officers suffered arm injuries and were taken to Rangueil University Hospital for medical treatment.
The attack could have had far more serious consequences. One of the knives reached the neck of one of the officers, very close to the carotid artery.
The other officer’s bulletproof vest suffered significant damage to the side, which is believed to have prevented the weapon from penetrating deeper into her body.
French authorities investigate possible terrorist motive
The Toulouse Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the attack, while France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) is assessing whether there are sufficient grounds to consider the incident a possible terrorist attack.
Toulouse Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc confirmed the assault and said the two officers were on duty when they were attacked. He also stated that the incident involved “statements of a terrorist nature.”
Investigators will now seek to establish the attacker’s motivation, the exact circumstances of the assault and the meaning of the statements he allegedly made during the attack.
The suspect remains in custody as the investigation into the stabbing of the two Toulouse municipal police officers continues.