Knife attack at Paris police HQ: At least four officers killed, suspect shot dead, reports say
Police block the street near Paris prefecture de police (police headquarters) on October 3, 2019 after three persons have been hurt in a knife attack. © AFP / Martin BUREAU
At least four officers have died in a brazen knife attack at the Paris police headquarters, according to reports. The assailant, said to be an employee at the main station, was shot and killed.
The police headquarters, situated in the heart of the city, is located across the street from Notre Dame Cathedral.
At least four police officers were killed, according to French television channel BFM. Sources within law enforcement told Reuters that the attacker was killed.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Paris police has declined to comment on the incident.
A metro station near the police headquarters has been shut down for security reasons, the city’s transport authority announced following the attack.
The attacker was an administrative officer working in a secure part of the building, making it easy for him to enter the premises, a source told The Sun. It is believed that the suspect used a ceramic knife that could not be picked up by metal detectors.
The attack comes a day after French police went on strike nationwide over an uptick in violence towards officers and rising suicide rates within the force.
Source:rt.com