Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > Muslim Stabs Soldier In Neck In Paris On Busy Street In Broad Daylight Muslim Stabs Soldier In Neck In Paris On Busy Street In Broad DaylightMay 25, 2013 8:12, "I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them " Koran French Soldier Stabbed in Paris
Gil Ronen A French soldier was been stabbed in the neck by a man who quickly fled the scene and is being sought by police, President Francois Hollande said. The soldier was patrolling in uniform with two other men as part of France's Vigipirate anti-terrorist surveillance plan, in the La Defense neighborhood west of Paris, when he was approached from behind around 4:00 p.m. and stabbed in the neck with a knife or a box-cutter. Hollande, who is in Addis Ababa, said: "We still don't know the exact circumstances of the attack or the identity of the attacker, but we are exploring all options." Pierre-Andre Peyvel, police prefect for the Hauts-de-Seine area, said the soldier had lost a considerable amount of blood but would survive, and was being treated in a nearby military hospital. "The wound appears to be quite serious, but it's not life-threatening," he told iTele news television. Peyvel said the man was able to flee into a crowded shopping area in the business neighborhood before the two other soldiers, who were walking in front of him, could react. French daily Le Parisien cited a police source as saying the suspected attacker was a bearded man of North African origin about 30 years old, and was wearing an Arab-style garment under his jacket. France is on high alert for attacks following its military intervention in Mali in January, which prompted threats from Al Qaeda in Mali. The attack came days after a British soldier was savagely murdered on a London street by two African Muslim
Manhunt Continues For Suspected Terrorist In Paris Soldier Stabbing In an apparent copycat of an ambush in London in which a British serviceman was murdered, the 6ft 2ins attacker struck in front of dozens of passers-by in La Defense business district on Saturday evening. His victim, 23-year-old Private Cedric Cordier, fell to the floor instantly when he was stabbed in the throat and neck from behind. It emerged on Sunday that a vital artery in Private Cordier's neck was only narrowly missed – meaning he only just escaped being killed. Two fellow soldiers from the 4th Cavalry Regiment were with him, and carrying automatic rifles, but they failed to react before the man ran off. "We are looking through video surveillance footage," said an officer at the scene of the crime. "He was seen taking off his Arab-style robes and running away wearing European clothing." The attacker was bearded, in his 30s, of North African origin, and wore a long, flowing Arab garment called a Djellaba. Police believe that the man also wore a white hat to cover his face, and had a beige pullover on. Detectives are convinced that he was ‘inspired' by the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, who was killed by two radical Islamists in Woolwich, south London, last Wednesday. Christophe Crepin, Paris police spokesman, said: "You don't have to be a great observer to see that people are taking inspiration from what's happened abroad." While Drummer Rigby was off duty, Private Cordier was on an anti-terrorism patrol in La Defense. Jean Yves Le Drian, France's defence minister, said that attack had undoubtedly been an "attempt to kill" the soldier, whose regiment had recently fought in Afghanistan. Private Cordier lost a considerable amount of blood but would survive, and is being treated at the nearby Percy military hospital. "There are elements - the sudden violence of the attack - that could lead one to believe there might be a comparison with what happened in London," said Manuel Valls, French interior minister. Mr Valls also confirmed that all the "elements" of the attack pointed towards a terrorist incident. France is considered a hotbed of radical Islamists, and the country's Vigipirate anti-terrorist surveillance plan is currently in action. Last year Mohammed Merah, a 23-year-old French-Algerian Islamist, murdered three French soldiers near the south west city of Toulouse during a killing spree which also claimed the lives of four Jewish civilians. |