Man armed with knife kills two in attacks in southeast France - mayor

A man armed with a knife attacked people out shopping in the southeastern French town of Romans-sur-Isère on Saturday, killing two and wounding five, French officials said.

The town is currently under a coronavirus lockdown, although people are allowed out to buy essentials. "This morning, a man embarked a terrorist journey, killing 2 people and wounding 5 others," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said during a visit to the town.

Castaner said security services would investigate the circumstances of the incident, working with the national anti-terrorism prosecutor who will decide whether or not to qualify the incident as a terrorist act. The attacks took place in the morning outside a bakery where customers were queuing, and at shops in the town centre, according to Mayor Marie-Hélène Thoraval, who said the assailant had been arrested.

BFM TV and LCI TV news stations reported that the suspect is a Sudanese national who has been granted asylum in France. Witnesses told Reuters the man struck at random and in several places while moving around the town centre.

 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)