On Tuesday, September 2, a violent knife attack occurred in the southeastern port city of Marseille, France, leaving 5 people injured, with one in critical condition. The suspect has been shot dead by the police at the scene.
According to reports from French media, the knife attack took place around 2:45 p.m. local time in the city center of Marseille.
Local prosecutor Nicolas Bessone told reporters at the scene that the attacker was a Tunisian man with legal residency status in France, who had been evicted by the hotel manager earlier in the day for not paying his accommodation fees.
Bessone stated that shortly after, the man returned to the hotel with two knives and a baton, first attacking a guest in a room that had been assigned to him, and then stabbing the hotel manager and his son.
The prosecutor further explained that after leaving the hotel, the man randomly attacked others on a busy shopping street nearby, injuring two pedestrians. Upon receiving the police report, law enforcement quickly responded to the scene. When attempting to apprehend the suspect, he resisted and attempted to attack the officers, leading to his eventual shooting by the police.
Bessone added that the guest at the hotel sustained the most severe injuries and was rushed to the hospital for treatment, while the other victims are not in critical condition.
A witness residing in the neighborhood told reporters from AFP that the police arrived “very quickly” and tried to apprehend the attacker in front of a fast-food restaurant, but he attempted to attack the police with a knife. The police shouted “stop, stop,” and then gunshots were heard.
Another witness mentioned seeing the assailant wielding “two large knives.”
Around 4 p.m. that day, the entire area of the incident was cordoned off, with partial disruptions to two tram lines.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau arrived in Marseille that evening to assess the situation, stating that without the timely intervention of the police, there could have been more victims in this incident. He also mentioned that the event has been ruled out as a “terrorist attack,” therefore the national counter-terrorism department will not be involved in the investigation.