PARIS: A man armed with a knife and a hammer wounded three people on Saturday in an early morning attack at the bustling Gare de Lyon train station in Paris, another nerve-rattling security incident in the Olympics host city before the Summer Games open in six months.
The 31-year-old man, carrying residency papers from Italy and medicines suggesting he was undergoing treatment, was quickly taken into police custody following the attack at 7:35 a.m. in one of the station’s cavernous halls, authorities said. Millions of passengers ride the hub’s high-speed and commuter trains.
“This individual appears to suffer from psychiatric troubles,” said Laurent Nunez, the Paris police chief who is also in charge of the massive security operation for the July 26-August 11 Olympic Games.
While stressing that the police investigation was still in early stages, Nunez said: “There are no elements that lead us to think that this could be a terrorist act.” One passerby was seriously wounded and undergoing surgery and two others more lightly hurt, Nunez said.
Passersby helped railway police officers detain the suspect, Nunez said. He said the man was carrying residency papers delivered in Italy, allowing him to travel legally to other European countries. The man’s nationality was not given.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said the police investigation is looking at a potential preliminary charge of attempted murder.