2 police officers stabbed in France’s Toulouse in suspected terror attack

Two police officers were injured in a knife attack in the French city of Toulouse on Monday.

Toulouse Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc said that two police personnel were attacked with a bladed weapon while on duty in the Rue d’Austerlitz neighbourhood of the city. He said the attacker “made statements of a terrorist nature”.

“Statements of a terrorist nature were also reported. The two officers were taken to Rangueil University Hospital. The perpetrator was quickly arrested,” said Moudenc without providing further details.

The attack comes nearly two weeks after a man was arrested in Paris for attacking three women with kitchen knives. Knife attacks have emerged as a common method used by radicals in Europe as guns are tightly regulated while knives are readily accessible.

While authorities have not confirmed it, CNews reported that the attacker shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ during the assault.

CNews reported that the man approached officers on duty before pulling out a knife. As the police personnel attempted to restrain him with batons, he allegedly produced three knives one after another and attacked them, injuring two personnel.

One of the police personnel was stabbed in the neck and required several stitches, according to the French-language media report.

One of the personnel attacked was a woman, and was stabbed three times, but her bulletproof vest stopped most of the blows, as per the report.

The authorities have not yet identified the attacker, disclosed a motive, or commented on any affiliation with a group.

Since the rise of Islamic State in West Asia, France has suffered a string of attacks of varying scale. Major incidents include the coordinated bombings and mass shootings in Paris in 2015, the Nice attack in 2016, and the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris in 2015. Other incidents include the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty and the fatal stabbing of police officer Jean-Baptiste Salvaing and his partner, Jessica Schneider, in 2016.