THE suspect in a deadly knife attack in central Paris on Saturday evening is a French citizen born in 1997 in Russia’s republic of Chechnya, according to reports.
Named by media as Khamzat Asimov, he was on a French watch list of people who could pose a threat to national security, French authorities said.
Police shot dead the attacker in the busy Opéra district after stabbing a 29-year-old man to death and injuring four others in a lively neighbourhood near the Opera Garnier on Saturday night.
The man had been categorised as “fiche S”, the reports say.
This flags people considered to be a possible threat to national security and allows for surveillance without being a cause for arrest.
In 2015, then Prime Minister Manuel Valls said there were 20,000 names on the list, about half related to Islamist radicalisation.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted (in French): “France has once again paid in blood, but will not give an inch to the enemies of freedom.”
More than 230 people in France have been killed by jihadists in the past three years. French interior minister Gerard Collomb is holding a special security meeting on Sunday to address the attack.
Daesh’s Aamaq news agency said the assailant carried out the attack in response to the group’s calls for supporters to target members of the US-led military coalition in Iraq and Syria.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here