PARIS – A police officer was wounded in a knife attack in Paris on Thursday in the high-end Champs-Elysees neighborhood and the assailant was shot and died of his injuries, authorities said, just days before the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said the attack did not appear linked to the Olympics and no terrorist motive was suspected.
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French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on X that the attack happened in the 8th arrondissement of Paris while police were “responding to a call from officers securing a store." Security agents at the flagship Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysees contacted police after noticing “suspicious behavior” by a man outside the store, according to a police official.
Speaking in front of the Louis Vuitton store after the stabbing, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said the assailant ‘’pulled out a knife and threatened them (the officers), tried to stab them multiple times and succeeded in stabbing.''
He defended the police response as “totally proportionate. They were facing an assailant who was threatening their lives.”
The suspect died of his injuries after being shot, the Paris prosecutor's office said. An investigation was opened into attempted murder of a police officer, the prosecutor's office said. The police officer was hospitalized but not in life-threatening condition.
The area was thronging with tourists and Parisians when the attack happened around the corner from the Louis Vuitton boutique. Some took photos as police cordoned off the area, while others continued their dining in nearby sidewalk cafes.
Associated Press journalists saw police reinforcements rushing in after the stabbing. At a luxury hotel nearby, guests arriving in a taxi had to pass under police tape to enter their hotel, as a porter wheeled their baggage under the cordon.
The Louis Vuitton store often has long lines outside and is among the biggest draws on an avenue packed with luxury boutiques. Louis Vuitton parent company LVMH did not comment on what happened.
Thursday's knife attack comes just days after a man stabbed and wounded a French soldier patrolling Paris on Monday outside the Gare de l’Est train station in eastern Paris. The man was taken to a psychiatric hospital, according to French prosecutors.
France is under its highest security alert before the start of the Paris Games on July 26. Paris police imposed strict new security measures in the center of town starting Thursday to prepare for the exceptional opening ceremony, which will be held in the open all along the Seine River instead of in a closed stadium.
Darmanin is staying on in a caretaker role at the interior ministry until a new government is formed in the wake of a legislative election earlier this month.
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Angela Charlton, David Goldman and Kwiyeon Ha in Paris contributed to this report.