2020 Villejuif stabbing

On 3 January 2020 in Villejuif, Paris, France a man killed one person and wounded two other people with a knife before being shot dead by police.[1][2]

2020 Villejuif stabbing
Part of Terrorism in France
LocationVillejuif, Val-de-Marne, France
Date3 January 2020 (2020-01-03)
14:00 (UTC-2)
TargetCivilians
Deaths2 (including the perpetrator)
Injured2
PerpetratorNathan Chiasson

Attack

A man in a park in Villejuif, Val-de-Marne, France shouted "Allahu Akbar" and tried to stab a man, but stopped because the man said he was a Muslim and said a prayer.[3] Then the assailant attacked three other people, killing one man and seriously wounding his wife in the throat. A second woman, who was jogging in the area, also received multiple stabs wounds in her back. The assailant then tried to stab the groundskeeper and a homeless man, but they escaped without any injuries.[4][5] The attack took place outside a supermarket and the targets were chosen at random.[6] It was reported that the attacker was wearing a djellaba and was bare footed. He shouted "Allahu akbar" when police of the BAC (French: brigade anticriminalité) arrived. They shot him once; as he got up while putting his hand in his pocket he was shot again with an assault rifle because it was suspected that he was wearing an explosive belt. This turned out to not be the case on closer investigation.[5]

Perpetrator

The attacker was Nathan Chiasson, a 22-year-old white male born in 1997 in Les Lilas (Seine-Saint-Denis), who suffered from psychiatric disorders and converted to Islam in mid-2017.[5][7][8][9] He was shot dead by police during the attack.[5][10] Islamic literature described as salafist was found in a bag.[7][11]

He is described by his family as presenting very early with "high intellectual capacities", but also with early mental distress. He has been subject to psychiatric care since childhood and has been hospitalized several times, sometimes "at the request of his parents".[12]

After gaining his baccalauréat, Chiasson entered the ESSCA business school in Angers. After a year, however, he stopped this training. "What will create obstacles to the pursuit of your studies ... are your psychological problems and problems of dependence on various drugs.[13]

He was admitted to the Saint-Anne hospital between February and May 2019. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia.[14][15]

Victims

A 56-year-old Polish-French man was killed while defending his wife,[16] who was injured during the attack along with a 30-year-old woman who was jogging at the park.[17]

Investigation

On 4 January, Counter-terror prosecutors started to investigate the attack. Officials quoted that the perpetrator had a history of mental health problems, but prosecutors said that "an act of terrorism cannot be ruled out just because a person has psychiatric problems".[11][18]

The perpetrator's partner Marie M.,[19] also a convert to Islam, was arrested at her home in Palaiseau on 7 January for links to militants groups. It is suspected that she was planning an attack on the police. At the time of the arrest she had a knife on her hand and expressed her desire to commit suicide by cop.[20] On 8 January she was recovering in hospital from her suicidal thoughts. Doctors said that she has no psychological problems and she was discharged. Security has been raised at the Palaiseau police stations.[21] An investigation is attempting find other Islamists allied with the perpetrator and his wife, and to establish if they formed a terrorist cell.[22]

Aftermath

Secretary of state Laurent Nuñez praised the speedy response of the police which he maintained had prevented further casualties.[23]

References
  1. Chazan, David (3 January 2020). "Paris stabbing: One dead and two in critical condition after knife attack in Villejuif". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  2. "Villejuif bei Paris: Mindestens ein Toter durch Messerattacke - Polizei erschießt Täter". Spiegel Online. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  3. "Dader van mesaanval in Villejuif spaarde moslim en riep "Allah akbar"". HLN (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  4. "Attaque au couteau à Villejuif : le tueur a hurlé plusieurs fois "Allah Akbar"". Actu17 - L′info Police Sécurité Terrorisme. (in French). 4 January 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  5. Chichizola, Jean (3 January 2020). "Un mort et deux blessés dans une attaque au couteau à Villejuif". Le Figaro.fr (in French). Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  6. "Attacker shot dead after fatal stabbing near Paris". BBC. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  7. "Attaque de Villejuif : l'assaillant présentait des antécédents psychiatriques". Valeurs actuelles (in French). Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  8. "German police shoot dead knifeman after two attacks in France". Evening Standard. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  9. "Villejuif : un mort et deux blessés dans une attaque au couteau, l'assaillant abattu". RTL.fr (in French). Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  10. Y.C. (3 January 2020). "Attaque au couteau à Villejuif : Un mort et 2 blessés, l'assaillant abattu par la police". Actu17 - L′info Police Sécurité Terrorisme. (in French). Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  11. "French prosecutors treating deadly stabbing outside Paris as terror attack". France 24. 4 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  12. "Attaque de Villejuif: l'énigmatique trajectoire de Nathan C." Le Point (in French). 5 January 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  13. l'Ouest, Courrier de (5 January 2020). "Angers. L'attaquant de Villejuif a été étudiant à l'ESSCA". Courrier de l'Ouest (in French). Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  14. Rédaction Infirmiers.com (10 January 2020). "Attentat de Villejuif : un infirmier interroge les relations entre terrorisme et troubles psychiatriques". Infirmiers.com (in French). Retrieved 28 April 2020..
  15. "Attentat de Villejuif : oui, on peut être à la fois "déséquilibré" et "terroriste"". Marianne.net (in French). 6 January 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  16. Val-de-Marne : après l’attaque au couteau, Villejuif soudé autour des proches de Janusz Michalsky
  17. Après l'attaque de Villejuif, les deux blessées sont sorties de l'hôpital, selon BFMTV
  18. "Counter-terror probe into Paris knife attack". 4 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  19. "PressReader.com - Journaux du Monde Entier". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  20. Rédaction, La; le 07/01/20 16:41, Mis à jour. "Attaque de Villejuif : un nouvel attentat évité in extremis ?". www.linternaute.com (in French). Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  21. "Attaque de Villejuif : surveillance renforcée dans des commissariats après la libération de la compagne de l'assaillant". Franceinfo (in French). 8 January 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  22. "Attaque de Villejuif : les policiers de l'Essonne en alerte après la libération de la compagne du tueur". leparisien.fr (in French). 9 January 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  23. "Tödliche Messer-Attacke bei Paris | DW | 03.01.2020". DW.COM (in German). Retrieved 4 January 2020.
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