Police secures the site of a knife attack in Paris, Monday, Sept. 10, 2018. A several people were injured in a knife attack in central Paris late Sunday but police said that terrorism was not suspected. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Police secures the site of a knife attack in Paris, Monday, Sept. 10, 2018. A several people were injured in a knife attack in central Paris late Sunday but police said that terrorism was not suspected. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

PARIS (AP) — Seven people were injured in a knife attack in central Paris late Sunday but police said that terrorism was not suspected.

Two British tourists were among those injured, broadcaster BFMTV and Le Parisien newspaper reported.

Authorities were trying to determine if the attacker, who was arrested, is among the seven injured. Le Parisien said the attacker is an Afghan national.

An overnight police press officer said the attack took place near a cinema in the 19th district of Paris. The officer had no information about the identities of the injured. The Paris prosecutors’ office is handling the investigation.

The reports said the man was armed with a knife and a metal bar, and first attacked three people outside the cinema.</s>Image copyright Reuters Image caption Evidence is marked out in north-east Paris

French police have detained a man who stabbed seven people, injuring four seriously, in an attack on tourists and passers-by in Paris.

The man, wielding a knife and iron bar, struck just before 23:00 (21:00 GMT) by a canal in Paris's 19th district.

People playing pétanque - a French bowling game - threw metal balls at the attacker, and he was overpowered.

The man, said to be Afghan, was soon arrested. The incident is currently not being treated as a terrorist attack.

Among the victims were two British tourists - police say the two men, in their fifties, suffered serious stab wounds to the chest and stomach.

The knifeman initially stabbed two men and a woman near the MK2 cinema on the Quai de Loire, along the Ourcq canal on Sunday, reports say.

Eyewitness Youssef Najah, 28, said he was walking beside the canal when he saw a man running and holding a knife about 25-30cm (10-11 inches) long.

"There were around 20 people chasing him. They started throwing pétanque balls at him," he said.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Pétanque is typically played with hand-sized hollow metal balls (file photo)

"Around four or five balls hit him in the head, but they weren't able to stop him," he added.

The man then reportedly attacked the two British tourists in a nearby street.

The British embassy in Paris told the BBC: "Our consular staff are assisting two British people who have been hospitalised in Paris, and are in contact with French medical staff who are treating them."

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Police cordoned off the area after the attacks

The mayor of Paris thanked the officers of the police anti-crime squad (BAC) who arrested the man. She also thanked the passers-by who tried to stop the attacker.

A French police source said: "At this stage, there is nothing to indicate that it could be a terrorist attack."

There have been several knife attacks in France over the past few months, but few have resulted in terrorist investigations.</s>Seven people have been injured in a knife attack in central Paris but police said that terrorism was not suspected.

Seven people have been injured in a knife attack in central Paris but police said that terrorism was not suspected.

Two British tourists were among those injured, broadcaster BFMTV and Le Parisien newspaper reported.

Authorities were trying to determine if the attacker, who was arrested, is among the seven injured.

Le Parisien said the attacker is an Afghan national.

The attack took place near a cinema in the 19th district of Paris, a police spokesman said.

He had no information about the identities of the injured.

The Paris prosecutors’ office is handling the investigation.

The reports said the man was armed with a knife and a metal bar, and first attacked three people outside the cinema.</s>PARIS: French police detained a man who wounded seven people in a knife attack in central Paris late on Sunday, police and judicial sources said on Monday, adding there was no initial indication the incident was linked to terrorism.

The attacker, who one police source said was from Afghanistan, stabbed tourists and passersby along the Bassin de la Villette, a popular outdoor canal area in the northeast of Paris where many people gather on warm evenings.

ALSO READ | At least seven people wounded in Paris knife attack; suspect arrested

Among those stabbed were two British tourists, a judicial source said.

They and two others remain in hospital with severe wounds, although they are not thought to be life-threatening.

Witnesses cited by French media said a group of men playing boules threw heavy metal balls that are used in the popular game at the attacker, with one hitting him on the head and stalling him.

Thierry, a witness quoted on BFM TV, said a group of people then assailed the attacker.

"Someone with a wooden stick smashed him across the knees and he fell to the ground," he said.

"Loads of people arrived, some were saying 'kill him' but one guy who was pinning him down said 'no, the last thing we must do is kill him.

'" Police and ambulance crews arrived on the scene shortly afterwards, witnesses said, and the man was taken into custody.

While the motives for the attack remain unclear, a judicial source said it did not appear to be akin to other attacks carried out by Muslim militants in Paris in recent years.

"Police didn't find any initial indication the attack was linked to terrorism," the source said.

"But the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office is following how the investigation proceeds closely.

" Paris has suffered a number of militant attacks since November 2015, when a series of coordinated strikes by Islamist gunmen and suicide bombers killed 129 people in the capital, an assault planned by the Islamic State and its adherents.</s>PARIS (AFP) - Seven people including two British tourists were wounded Sunday (Sept 9) in Paris after they were attacked by a man armed with a knife and an iron bar, according to police and other sources.

A source close to the inquiry said the suspect has been arrested and is believed to be an Afghan national.

“Nothing at this stage shows signs of a terrorist nature in these assaults,” the sources said, adding that the attacker had targeted “strangers in the street”.

Of the seven wounded, four are in a critical condition, police said.

The incident took place just after 11:00pm (2100 GMT) on the banks of a canal in the north-east of the capital. A security guard at one of two cinemas on either side of the Canal de l’Ourcq said he saw a man who had already assaulted people being chased by two other men who tried to stop him.

“He had an iron bar in his hand which he threw at the men chasing him, then he took out a knife,” he told AFP.

Another eyewitness, 28-year-old Youssef Najah, said he was walking along the canal near a bowling green when he saw a man running and holding a knife about 25-30 cm (10-11 inches) long.

“There were around 20 people chasing him. They started throwing Petanque balls at him,” Najah said, referring to the sport popular in France also known as boules. “Around four or five balls hit him in the head, but they weren’t able to stop him,” he added.

According to the same witness, the attacker then dived into an alleyway, where the man “tried to hide behind two British tourists. We said to them: ‘Watch out, he has a knife”. But they didn’t react”. The pair were then attacked, he said.

A police investigation has been launched for attempted murder, according to a judicial source. It is the latest of several knife attacks France has seen in recent months, with terrorism being ruled out in most cases.

On Aug 23, a man stabbed his mother and sister to death and seriously injured another person in a town near Paris before being shot dead by police. The motive for the violence remained unclear despite a claim by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group that it was an attack by one of its fighters responding to the terror organisation’s propaganda.

The authorities said the 36-year-old had serious mental health problems and had been on a terror watch list since 2016. That attack came days after an Afghan asylum-seeker was arrested in town of Perigueux for a drunken rampage with a knife in which four people were wounded, one seriously.

Police said investigators had “very quickly” dismissed a terrorist motive after the Aug 13 incident.

And on June 17, two people were hurt in another southern town when a woman shouting “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest) attacked them in a supermarket with a boxcutter knife.

France has been on high alert following a string of extremist attacks in recent years, often by people who have become radicalised or claim to have acted in the name of the ISIS group. More than 240 people have been killed by Islamic extremists since a massacre at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris in January 2015.</s>Paris: French police detained a man who wounded seven people in a knife attack in central Paris late on Sunday, police and judicial sources said on Monday, adding there was no initial indication the incident was linked to terrorism.

The attacker, who one police source said was from Afghanistan, stabbed tourists and passersby along the Bassin de la Villette, a popular outdoor canal area in the north-east of Paris where many people gather on warm evenings.

Among those stabbed were two British tourists, a judicial source said. They and two others remain in hospital with severe wounds, although they are not thought to be life-threatening.

Witnesses cited by French media said a group of men playing boules threw heavy metal balls that are used in the popular game at the attacker, with one hitting him on the head and stalling him.

Thierry, a witness quoted on BFM TV, said a group of people then assailed the attacker.</s>, PARIS, France, Sep 10 – Seven people including two British tourists were wounded in Paris late Sunday by a knife-wielding man, a terrifying attack that bystanders tried to stop by throwing petanque balls at the assailant.

Four of the victims were in a critical condition, police said, after the man brandishing a large blade and and iron bar went on the rampage next to a canal in the northeast of the capital.

The suspect is believed to be an Afghan national and has been arrested, said a source close to the enquiry, adding he had targeted “strangers” but that “nothing at this stage shows signs of a terrorist nature”.

Chaos erupted on the banks of the Bassin de la Villette, an area popular with locals and visitors who frequent the cafes, cinemas and other cultural venues along its banks, just after 11:00pm (2100 GMT).

Eyewitness Youssef Najah, 28, said he was walking beside the canal when he saw a man running and holding a knife about 25-30 cm (10-11 inches) long.

“There were around 20 people chasing him. They started throwing petanque balls at him,” Najah said, referring to the sport popular in France also known as boules.

“Around four or five balls hit him in the head, but they weren’t able to stop him,” he added.

According to the same witness, the attacker then dived into an alleyway, where the man “tried to hide behind two British tourists. We said to them: ‘Watch out, he has a knife”. But they didn’t react”.

The pair were then attacked, he said.

A security guard at one of two cinemas on either side of the water said he had seen the attacker running away from two men who were trying to stop him.

“He had an iron bar in his hand which he threw at the men chasing him, then he took out a knife,” he told AFP.

The UK foreign office said it was aware of reports of the attack and was “urgently investigating this incident” in cooperation with French authorities, British media reported.

A police investigation has been launched for attempted murder, according to a judicial source.

It is the latest of several knife attacks France has seen in recent months, with terrorism being ruled out in most cases.

On August 23, a man stabbed his mother and sister to death and seriously injured another person in a town near Paris before being shot dead by police.

The motive for the violence remained unclear despite a claim by the Islamic State (IS) group that it was an attack by one of its fighters responding to the terror organisation’s propaganda.

Authorities said the 36-year-old had serious mental health problems and had been on a terror watch list since 2016.

That attack came days after an Afghan asylum-seeker was arrested in town of Perigueux for a drunken rampage with a knife in which four people were wounded, one seriously.

Police said investigators had “very quickly” dismissed a terrorist motive after the August 13 incident.

And on June 17, two people were hurt in another southern town when a woman shouting “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest) attacked them in a supermarket with a boxcutter knife.

France has been on high alert following a string of jihadist attacks in recent years, often by people who have become radicalised or claim to have acted in the name of the IS group.

More than 240 people have been killed by Islamist extremists since a massacre at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris in January 2015.</s>PARIS: Seven people including two British tourists were wounded Sunday in Paris when attacked by a man armed with a knife and an iron bar, according to police and other sources.

"Nothing at this stage shows signs of a terrorist nature in these assaults," a source close to the inquiry said, adding that the suspect has been arrested and is believed to be an Afghan national.</s>
• Seven people have been injured in a knife attack in Paris on Sunday night.
• The attacker is in custody, and the event is not believed to be terror related.
• Paris has been the site of several large scale terror attacks in the last few years, although there have been no major attacks since 2015.

Seven people were injured in a knife attack in Paris on Sunday night.

The attack occurred around 10:45 p.m. local time when a man armed with a crowbar and a knife began attacking people in the 19th Arrondissement, northeast of Paris, according to La Parisien,

The attacker allegedly stabbed three people at the MK2 theatre near the Quai de la Loire, La Parisien reported, before two men playing petanque at a court nearby tried to disrupt the assailant by throwing a ball at him.

The attacker continued down the street, allegedly attacking several more people, including two British tourists, before police arrested him.

La Parisien said the alleged attacker is of Afghan descent.

Officials said seven people were wounded, including four with serious injuries.

There was no indication of terror, according to La Parisien, though police have not revealed a motive.

Paris has been the site of several large scale terror attacks in the last few years, though there have been no major attacks since 2015.

France has seen smaller lone-wolf attacks in recent months. In May, a Chechnyan national attacked four people in Paris with a knife, killing one and injuring four.

In June, a woman stabbed two people with a box cutter in a supermarket in Toulon. And in August, a 19-year-old Afghan Asylum seeker stabbed four people in the southwestern French town of Perigueux, injuring four.</s>PARIS: A man wielding a knife and an iron bar injured seven people, including three tourists, in Paris, in an attack that bystanders tried to stop by throwing petanque balls at the assailant.

Four of the victims were in a critical condition, police said, after the man, believed to be an Afghan national, went on the rampage next to a canal in the northeast of the capital on Sunday evening.

Two British tourists, an Egyptian tourist and a local man were among the injured, police added.

The suspect, believed to be in his thirties, had been overpowered by bystanders and was unconscious when officers arrived on the scene and took him to hospital, police said.

A source close to the inquiry added that though he had targeted foreigners, “nothing at this stage suggests a terrorist attack”.

Chaos erupted on the banks of the Bassin de la Villette, an area popular with locals and visitors who frequent the cafes, cinemas and other cultural venues along its banks, just after 11pm (2100 GMT).

Eyewitness Youssef Najah, 28, said he was walking beside the canal when he saw a man running and holding a knife about 25-30 cm (10-11 inches) long.

“There were around 20 people chasing him. They started throwing petanque balls at him,” Najah said, referring to the sport popular in France also known as boules.

“Around four or five balls hit him in the head, but they weren’t able to stop him,” he added.

According to the same witness, the attacker then dived into an alleyway, where the man “tried to hide behind two British tourists. We said to them: ‘Watch out, he has a knife”. But they didn’t react”.

The pair, said by police to be in their fifties, were then attacked, he said.

A security guard at one of two cinemas on either side of the water said he had seen the attacker running away from two men who were trying to stop him.

“He had an iron bar in his hand which he threw at the men chasing him, then he took out a knife,” he told AFP.

An Algerian man identified as Smain told Le Parisien newspaper he was part of a group that apprehended the attacker.

“I managed to jump on him and throw him to the ground and get his weapon off him,” he said, adding that the attacker sustained “several blows from petanque balls, iron bars and sticks” and “looked drugged”.

The UK foreign office said it was aware of reports of the attack and was “urgently investigating this incident” in cooperation with French authorities, British media reported.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb in a statement praised those who intervened to stop the attack for their “responsiveness and courage”.

A police investigation has been launched for attempted murder, according to a judicial source.

It is the latest of several knife attacks France has seen in recent weeks.

On August 23, a man stabbed his mother and sister to death and seriously injured another person in a town near Paris before being shot dead by police.

The motive for the violence remained unclear despite a claim by the Islamic State group that it was an attack by one of its fighters responding to the terror organisation’s propaganda.

Authorities said the 36-year-old had serious mental health problems and had been on a terror watch list since 2016.

That attack came days after an Afghan asylum-seeker was arrested in the southwestern town of Perigueux for a drunken rampage with a knife in which four people were wounded, one seriously.

Police said investigators had “very quickly” dismissed a terrorist motive after the August 13 incident.

And on June 17, two people were hurt in another southern town when a woman shouting “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest) attacked them in a supermarket with a boxcutter knife.

France has been on high alert following a string of jihadist attacks in recent years, often by people who have become radicalised or claim to have acted in the name of the IS group.

More than 240 people have been killed by Islamist extremists since a massacre at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris in January 2015.
Seven people, including two British tourists, are wounded in a knife attack in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. The attacker, said to be an Afghan national, is arrested by police.