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Two people were injured in a knife attack in Paris and those allegedly responsible were arrested. France is fighting terrorism, a few meters from the former headquarters of the satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo”.
Sirens, cordoned off streets, loud shouts from the police: after a long break in Paris, the fear of terror has returned. In front of the building where the satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo” once had its editorial headquarters, two journalists were injured in a knife attack on Friday. Counterterrorism investigators have taken over the investigation. Police arrested two suspects. French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has now declared that the attack is “clearly an act of Islamist terrorism.”
Interior Minister, Christophe Castaner (Source: IP3press / imago images)
Journalists injured, but not in danger of death
The incident occurred around noon on Rue Nicolas Appert. An employee of the “Premières Lignes” production company, who works among other things for the France 2 channel, was injured in the attack. It is said that he just took a smoke break. According to Prime Minister Jean Castex, the victims are not in danger of death. Meanwhile, the editorial team of “Charlie Hebdo” has moved: in January 2015, eleven people were brutally murdered in the newsrooms.
Two suspects were arrested a short time later near the crime scene. According to the prosecutor, one of them is said to be the main culprit. According to constant media reports, it is about an 18-year-old who was born in Pakistan. The second suspect is said to be 33 years old. There was no information from the prosecutor. The Franceinfo station reported a raid in the Paris area, in the Val-d’Oise department. The main suspect is said to have lived there.
So far 250 dead in terrorist attacks
France has been rocked by Islamist attacks for years: more than 250 people died. Therefore, people are almost always aware of the threat of terrorism. But the country is currently battling another demon: the corona virus. There are thousands of new infections every day and the situation is deteriorating markedly. Even if that has put the fear of terror in the background, about seven kilometers from the crime scene, something reminds of the danger almost every day.
French police cordon off area of knife attack in Paris. The population should avoid the area. (Source: Alain Jocard / dpa)
The trial of the alleged assistants of the terror series in January 2015 has been taking place since the beginning of the month in the Palace of Justice, in which a total of 17 people died. You can only enter the Crystal Palace under strict security conditions. When the trial began, Charlie Hebdo republished cartoons of Mohammed, and the editorial team was threatened again. In an open letter, around a hundred French media backed the satirical magazine and called on the people of the country to defend freedom of expression.
Prime Minister determined to fight terrorism
Prime Minister Castex rushed to the scene of the crime in the 11th arrondissement of Paris on Friday afternoon. He spoke of a “symbolic place”. “I would like to express my solidarity with the families of the victims and all the colleagues of these two journalists,” he said. He reiterated his “firm determination” to fight terrorism by all means. The editorial team of “Charlie Hebdo” also responded: “Charlie’s entire team supports and stands in solidarity with his former neighbors and colleagues.”
Thousands of students had to wait hours in schools as a precautionary measure after the attack on that rainy gray Friday. Parents were unable to pick up their little ones from the crib. Once again, an entire quarter of Paris was a restricted area: heavily armed security forces cordoned off the entire area in eastern Paris around the crime scene, and there were numerous emergency vehicles on the streets. “Merde, merde,” cursed an old woman who did not return home.
The cover of an issue of “Charlie Hebdo”: It is not yet clear if the attack had anything to do with the editorial team. (Source: Riccardo Milani / imago images)
France also deployed against terrorist militias in West Africa
The authorities continue to rate the terrorist threat in the country as very high. Fighting terrorism has always been one of President Emmanuel Macron’s top priorities. In April, a man killed two people in Romans-sur-Isère, near Valence. In August, six French people were killed in a fatal attack in Niger: the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia assumed responsibility for the crime.
And France is not just fighting terrorism in its own country: as a former colonial power, France is heavily involved in fighting Islamist militias in West Africa. The “Barkhane” counterterrorism mission was only increased to around 5,100 soldiers in February.
The President of the Council of the EU, Charles Michel, stressed that terrorism has no place on European soil. “All my thoughts are with the victims of this cowardly act of violence,” the Belgian wrote on Twitter. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also described the act on the social network as a “cowardly attack.” Italy is on the side of those who oppose all forms of violence.
