The French police have conducted a special operation in the Trappes commune of Yvelines prefecture near the French capital after a knife-wielding man attacked passersby. At least two people have been killed and one more seriously wounded as the result of an attack by an armed man. Police have issued a notification demanding that people avoid the area.
⚠️[ALERTE] Opération de police en cours, rue Camille Claudel à #Trappes, merci de bien vouloir éviter le secteur et de respecter le périmètre de sécurité. pic.twitter.com/6z7Q8u9mrZ
— Police Nationale 78 (@PoliceNat78) August 23, 2018
"Trappes. An operation is being carried out by the police… Please, avoid the operation's area and respect the security perimeter," the local police said in a tweet.
Attacker is Neutralized
As the broadcaster BFMTV stated, the attacker had been shot by police officers. However, as the French police announced on their official Twitter account later, the man had been neutralized, without providing any further details.
Possible Terror Attack
The Daesh* terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the incident. Nevertheless, Interior Minister Gérard Collomb stated that prosecutors are not considering the assault to be an act of terrorism. As the minister explained, the attacker suffered from severe mental health problems although he had also been known for glorifying terrorism.
"My first thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones," Interior Minister Gérard Collomb stated on his Twitter account. "I want to salute the exemplary mobilization of our police forces, which are already investigating the case to establish the circumstances of this tragedy."
READ MORE: Knife Attack Leaves Several People Dead in Belgium's Municipality of Plombieres
This stabbing attack comes just three months after a similar incident in Paris when a man killed one person and injured four. According to French media reports, a string of jihadist attacks has killed at least 250 people in France over the past three years.
* Daesh, also known as IS/ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State, is a terrorist organization, banned in Russia
