Knife Attack in Eastern France; Macron Attributes Incident to 'Islamist Terrorism'

The President of France states that the knife attack in the eastern part of the country, which left one dead and three injured, is attributed to 'Islamist terrorism.' Emmanuel Macron emphasized on Saturday, March 4, that the attack by an individual with a knife against several police officers in the city of Mulhouse is 'undoubtedly a terrorist act.' The French Minister of the Interior has also traveled to the city to investigate the matter and will give a speech there. The French judiciary reports that the suspect shouted 'Allahu Akbar' while attacking local police officers. According to local media reports, this incident occurred around 4 PM local time in Mulhouse, near the German border. The Mulhouse prosecutor's office states that the assailant, a 37-year-old Algerian man, has been arrested, and the deceased was a civilian who attempted to intervene. Michel Lutz, the mayor of Mulhouse, wrote on Facebook: 'Fear has engulfed our city.' It is reported that the assailant had been present at the police station, where he was supposed to sign a document regarding his detention, but he refused to do so and fled to a shop where he clashed with the police. French media have reported that during this confrontation, one police officer was stabbed in the neck and another in the chest, while three other officers sustained minor injuries. A civilian who attempted to intervene in the altercation was killed by a stab wound. It is said that the assailant had been under house arrest for a long time and was on a watch list for terrorist reasons. This attack in France occurred one day after a knife attack by a 19-year-old Syrian refugee at the Holocaust memorial in Berlin, which resulted in the injury of a Spanish tourist. According to prosecutors, the assailant, influenced by Middle Eastern conflicts, intended to kill Jews. Previously, there had been reports of several attacks in European countries influenced by the Gaza war.