Knife attack in Paris

A man carrying a knife has attempted to attack police during a ceremony under the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris.

According to a Paris police official, the attacker targeted an officer who was on duty to ensure order and security during the ceremony to relight the eternal flame in honor of the unknown soldiers, near the Napoleonic-era monument.

The perpetrator, a French citizen born in 1978 who had previously been convicted in Belgium on terrorism-related charges, died in hospital from his injuries, the French anti-terrorism prosecutor's office announced.

 No bystanders or police officers were injured in this situation.

The attacker was sentenced to 17 years in prison by a Brussels court in 2013 for attempted murder as part of a terrorist enterprise against three police officers in the Belgian city of Molenbeek a year earlier, according to the prosecution.

Initially imprisoned in Belgium, he was then transferred to France in 2015 to serve the remainder of his sentence. He was released from prison on December 24, 2025, and has been under judicial supervision and surveillance measures since then, the statement said.