One dead and two injured after man attacks tourists near Eiffel Tower in Paris

A French man, 26, was detained by police over the incident

French police secures the access to the Bir-Hakeim bridge after a security incident in Paris. Reuters

One person died and two others were injured after a man attacked tourists in central Paris near the Eiffel Tower, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Saturday.

Police apprehended the 26-year-old man, a French national, using a Taser stun gun, Mr Darmanin told reporters.

The suspect was on the French security services watch list and was also known for having mental health issues, the interior minister added.

The attack took place around 7pm when the man attacked a tourist couple with a knife on the Quai de Grenelle, a few metres away from the Eiffel Tower, fatally wounding a German national. He was then chased by police and attacked two other people with a hammer before being arrested.

A British man was among the injured, according to the UK Foreign Office.

“We are supporting a British man who was injured in Paris and are in contact with the local authorities,” an official for the Foreign Office said.

The suspect had shouted “Allahu akbar” and told police he was upset because “so many Muslims are dying in Afghanistan and Palestine” and was also upset about the Gaza situation, Mr Darmanin said.

The prosecutor's office has been put in charge of an investigation, AFP said.

Saturday night's incident in central Paris occurred less than eight months before the French capital hosts the Olympic Games and could raise questions about security at the global sporting event.

Paris plans an unprecedented opening ceremony on the Seine that may draw as many as 600,000 spectators.