Man killed in 'terror attack' was visiting Paris with his girlfriend
A German tourist has been killed and two others, including a British man, have been injured in a suspected terror attack in central Paris at the weekend.
Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab, a French citizen born to Iranian parents, is accused of stabbing a German-Filipino man, named Collin, who was visiting Paris with his girlfriend ahead of his 24th birthday. The man, who studied in the Philippines, had been working in a retirement home in Germany since January, according to French media.
The woman was next to Collin when he was killed near the Eiffel Tower at around 9.15pm on Saturday and remained by his side while emergency services tried in vain to resuscitate him, with 45 minutes of cardiac massage. Photos published on his girlfriend's Facebook profile showed the couple visiting France, including Disneyland Paris, when she published an image with the caption: "My inner child is so happy."
Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab has been arrested
The suspect is accused of killing a German tourist and injuring two people (Twitter)After stabbing Collin in the 15th arrondissement, the suspect crossed the Bir-Hakeim bridge towards the 16th arrondissement and injured a 65-year-old British tourist named by Le Parisien as Melvyn with a hammer blow. A relative approached by the publication refused to comment on the incident.
The third victim was a 60-year-old Parisian named Thierry who suffered a wound to his cheekbone and was bleeding in front of his shocked daughter and his wife who was trying to manage the situation. On Sunday, the victim said he was "feeling better" but said: "I wonder if I saw what I saw correctly. How can you attack people for nothing?"
Man in 30s dies after being stabbed in park sparking police probe
France's anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard said he had opened an investigation into the attack on Sunday. He said Rajabpour-Miyandoab had posted a video on X before the attack pledging his allegiance to IS alongside other recent posts in which he made references to the Israel-Hamas war.
Mr Ricard said Rajabpour-Miyandoab, born in 1997, converted to Islam at the age of 18 and in 2016 planned on joining IS in Syria before being imprisoned for four years on a charge of planning violence. He received psychiatric treatment and was under surveillance for suspected extremism, the prosecutor confirmed.
The suspect was Tasered and arrested (Twitter)Three other people from Rajabpour-Miyandoab's entourage and family have been detained by police for questioning, Mr Ricard said. The prosecutor added that both the British man and the French national who were injured were able to return home on Sunday.
The suspect, born in 1997, cried "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) and a police officer twice Tasered him before arresting him, authorities said. French interior minister Gerald Darmanin reportedly said that when questioned by police, the suspect expressed anguish about Muslims dying, notably in Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories, and claimed that France was an accomplice.
Mr Darmanin said "this person was ready to kill others", and praised the quick response of the police. A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office said: "We are supporting a British man who was injured in Paris and are in contact with the local authorities".
Writing on X on Saturday, France's president Emmanuel Macron said: "I send all my condolences to the family and loved ones of the German national who died this evening during the terrorist attack in Paris and think with emotion of the people currently injured and in care. My most sincere thanks to the emergency forces who made it possible to quickly arrest a suspect."
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