Tourists Attacked In Eiffel Tower, 1 Died, 2 Injured

Illustration of the Eiffel Tower at night. (Wikimedia Commons/JeyHan)

JAKARTA - The attack took place in the center of Paris, France around the Eiffel Tower area, Saturday evening, December 2 local time. A gunman attacked tourists, killing one person and injuring two others.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said police arrested the suspected perpetrator of a 26-year-old French national, using a anesthetic.

The suspect turned out to be a former convict who was jailed for four years in 2016 for a crime of armed attack. He is on the French security service watch list. According to Darmanin, the perpetrator has a history of mental disorders.

The suspect attacked a pair of tourists with a knife in Quai de Grenelle, a few meters from the Eiffel Tower, injuring a German national. He was then chased by police and attacked two other people before being arrested.

To the police, the suspect admitted that he was upset because so many people died as a result of the war in Afghanistan and Palestine. Darmanin stated that the suspect was angry with the situation in Gaza.

Saturday night's incident in downtown Paris took place less than eight months before the French capital hosted the Olympics, and could raise questions about security at the global sporting event.

Paris plans an unprecedented opening ceremony in the Sea River which can attract 600,000 tourists.