Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
September 1, 2019
Police in France detained an Afghan asylum-seeker after one person was killed and nine others injured in a knife attack near a commuter train station outside Lyon.
Authorities on August 31 described the attacker as a 33-year-old Afghan citizen who had applied for asylum in France and was waiting for a response.
Police said a 19-year-old man was killed and three of the others were in critical condition following what was described as a “frenzied” attack.
“There was blood everywhere,” said a woman who witnessed the attack in the town of Villeurbanne.
Authorities said the incident did not immediately appear to be terrorism-related and it was not known if the assailant knew the victims.
French cities are on high alert following several deadly attacks blamed on Islamic extremists in 2015 and 2016.
Based on reporting by AP and AFP