A female police official was fatally stabbed inside of a police station in Rambouillet, a suburb of Paris, on Friday, authorities said, sparking a terorrism investigation into the incident.

What You Need To Know

  • A female police official was fatally stabbed inside of a police station in a Paris suburb on Friday

  • Authorities have launched a terrorism investigation into the incident because of statements the assailant made during the attack, as well as his targeting of a police official

  • The 37-year-old resident of France had no record of radicalization, nor did he have a criminal record, authorities said

  • The official killed Friday was a 49-year-old administrative employee who worked in the station for the national police service

The attacker was shot and killed by police at the scene. Officials have not revealed his identity or motive.

Anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard said that they have taken over the investigation because of statements the assailant made during the attack, as well as his targeting of a police official.

A French judicial official told The Associated Press that the suspect was born in Tunisia and that witnesses heard him say “Allahu akbar, Arabic for “God is great,” during the attack. The 37-year-old resident of France had no record of radicalization, nor did he have a criminal record, authorities said.

The official killed Friday was a 49-year-old administrative employee who worked in the station for the national police service, a national police spokesperson told the AP.

The attack took place southwest of Paris just inside the police station in a quiet residential area of the town of Rambouillet, about 750 yards from a former royal estate that is sometimes used for international peace negotiations. Police cordons ringed the area after the stabbing.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex rushed to the scene with other officials and pledged that the government will "fight terrorism in all its forms."

The attack comes as President Emmanuel Macron’s government is toughening its security policies amid voter concerns about crime and complaints from police that they face increasing danger. The shift comes as France prepares for regional elections in June in which security is a big issue, and for a presidential election next year in which Macron’s main challenger could be far-right leader Marine Le Pen, if he seeks a second term.

 

 

Macron wrote on Twitter that the nation stands with the victim's family, and pledged that they will not back down in the fight against terrorism.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.