A 37-year-old man is suspected of carrying out a deadly knife attack that resulted in one fatality and seriously injured at least three municipal police officers in Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, on Saturday. French President Emmanuel Macron has described the incident as an “act of terrorism.” The suspect, an Algerian under an Obligation to Leave French Territory order, has been apprehended and is currently in custody.
The attack unfolded swiftly, lasting just around ten minutes. At approximately 3:40 PM, in the bustling area of the covered canal market, a man armed with a knife and a screwdriver inflicted severe injuries on two parking enforcement officers while shouting “Allahou Akbar.” Just ten minutes later, municipal officers were able to subdue the suspect using a baton, as recounted by the French Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau.
“They showed absolutely remarkable composure,” explained the Interior Minister. “The individual was extremely dangerous. He approached an officer who drew his weapon, but decided against firing due to the crowded environment of the market. Instead, they neutralized him with a baton, demonstrating great professionalism, composure, and courage.”
The suspect, identified as Brahim A., who suffers from psychiatric disorders, was immediately placed in custody. The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office has initiated an investigation for “murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise.”
The victims of the attack include two parking enforcement officers who were the first to be targeted. One officer, injured in the thorax, was discharged from the hospital the same evening, while the other, with neck injuries, is scheduled to be transferred to another hospital in Colmar, the prefecture of Haut-Rhin. Three municipal police officers, who assisted in apprehending the assailant, sustained minor injuries.
Tragically, a 69-year-old Portuguese national, who was shopping at the market, was fatally injured following the attack on the parking officers. The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office confirmed that a civilian who intervened was killed, though it remains unclear whether he was accidentally caught in the attack or acted heroically to intervene.
This incident has left the community of Mulhouse in shock, as they grapple with the aftermath of what authorities are treating as an act of terror.
