Knife-wielding man shot by police at Paris railway station

French transport police were attacked at Saint-Lazare station

Saint-Lazare station in Paris, France. Alamy
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French transport police have shot a man armed with a knife at a Paris railway station.

The man allegedly threatened the officers.

Police said they shot the man twice after he rushed at officers just before midnight on Monday at Saint-Lazare, one of the capital's busiest stations, and drew a knife from a bag as he shouted “Allahu Akbar".

“The two officers used their service weapons to defend themselves,” a spokesman for France's national rail operator SNCF said.

“The wounded individual was taken care of by the emergency services.”

Paris prosecutors said the man was in a life-threatening condition in hospital.

An investigation has been opened into the attempted murder of a public official, incitement to terrorism and violence with a weapon, prosecutors said.

It is understood the man was not known to the security services.

France remains on its highest alert following a spate of attacks by violent extremists, beginning in January 2015.

The trial into the November 2015 attacks in Paris that left 130 dead is ongoing in the French capital.

The country saw a spate of attacks by lone extremist radicals in late 2020, including the killing of teacher Samuel Paty.

Updated: November 02, 2021, 3:11 PM