PARIS – French police have arrested a man on terrorism charges after he allegedly attempted to murder a taxi driver with a knife while expressing support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, according to a source from the terrorism prosecutor’s office.
The arrest took place on Friday, as France remains on high alert ahead of the Paris Olympic Summer Games, which begin on July 26 and are expected to draw millions of visitors, athletes, and world leaders.
The suspect, known to authorities for previous radicalization, reportedly stopped a taxi in Le Mans on Tuesday night while brandishing a gun. He demanded to be taken to an isolated area near Ferte-Bernard. Once there, he forced the driver out of the car, bound him, and attacked his neck with a knife. The driver managed to escape and sought refuge at a nearby resident’s home, where he received medical treatment from emergency services.
The assailant was apprehended early on Friday morning in Yvelines, west of Paris. He is being investigated for terrorism, attempted murder, and kidnapping charges.
This incident follows a series of unrelated security events in Paris this week. On Thursday, a police officer was critically injured in a stabbing attack in the Champs Elysees shopping district. Earlier in the week, a soldier was stabbed at a railway station, and authorities are investigating whether a car ramming into a café terrace on Wednesday was intentional.
