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The French public prosecutor in counter-terrorism cases, Jean-François Ricard, said (Sunday) that the perpetrator of the attack near the Eiffel Tower (Saturday), in which a German-Filipino tourist was stabbed to death, while two other people were injured, had pledged allegiance to ISIS in a videotape before carrying out the operation. .

Ricard explained during a press conference that the perpetrator, Arman Rajapour Miandawab, a 26-year-old Frenchman of Iranian origin, spoke in Arabic in the video and declared his “support for jihadists who are active in various regions.”

He explained that “the video was broadcast specifically on his account on the (X) platform,” which he opened in early October, and included “several posts about (Hamas), Gaza, and Palestine in general.”

The suspect is known for being extremist and suffering from unrest. He was previously sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of belonging to a “vicious gang with the aim of preparing a terrorist act” in 2016 in the La Défense business district in western Paris. He was released from prison in 2020 after spending four years behind bars.

He chanted “Allahu Akbar” when the events occurred and said that he “carried an explosive belt,” according to the public prosecutor, who indicated that the 23-year-old victim “received two hammer blows and four stab wounds.” The perpetrator is still detained pending investigation (Sunday).

In addition to the perpetrator, three other people, belonging to his family or circles, were arrested as a precaution, according to Ricard.

The public prosecutor added that the mother of the attacker informed the police of her concern about his behavior last October “because of his isolation.”

The events took place (Saturday) around 21:00 (22:00 GMT) at the tourist site near the Bir Hakeim Bridge, which connects the two banks of the Seine River.

The attacker first stabbed a 23-year-old tourist with dual German and Filipino citizenship, then attacked two other men with a hammer, slightly wounding them: a 60-year-old Frenchman and a 66-year-old Briton, who was injured in the eye, according to the Anti-Terrorism Public Prosecution.

The security forces took control of him with an electric gun shortly after the attack, and he was imprisoned in the offices of the Counter-Terrorism Department in Paris. An investigation was opened on charges of “assassination and attempted assassination in connection with a terrorist plot” and “belonging to a terrorist gang of evildoers to carry out crimes against individuals.”

psychiatric disturbances

The public prosecutor added that the attacker’s mother informed the police of her concern about his behavior last October “because of his isolation,” noting that the attacker “belongs to a family with no religious commitment,” but he converted to Islam at the age of eighteen in 2015 and moved on “very quickly.” The path of “jihadist ideology.”

Investigators will now study the medical follow-up that the “extremely unstable and easily influenced” perpetrator received.

A police source said in an interview with Agence France-Presse: “Was he medically monitored as he should have been?” This is a question that arises.”

Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau explained (Sunday) that he was subjected to psychological “follow-up” without being hospitalized.

There are about 5,200 people in France known for extremism, including 1,600 people who are specially monitored by the General Directorate of Internal Security, according to a source within intelligence who explained that 20 percent of these five thousand people suffer from psychological disorders.

At the conclusion of a government meeting, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin called on Sunday evening to enable the authorities to “impose treatment” on anyone who takes the path of extremism and is subject to follow-up due to psychological disorders to avoid such attacks.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his “shock” the day after the attack, writing on the “X” platform: “I am shocked by the terrorist attack in Paris, as a result of which a German was killed and several people were injured.”

He added: “Our thoughts are with the wounded and the families and friends of the victims.” “This highlights once again the reasons why we must fight hatred and terrorism.”

German Interior Minister Nancy Weiser denounced the incident, which she described as a “heinous crime.”

The attack came less than two months after an attack that occurred in Arras, northern France, and claimed the life of a teacher. France was placed on alert in anticipation of an “imminent attack,” and the government decided to deploy 7,000 soldiers inside the country after the Arras attack that took place in mid-October, and in the face of the risk that the war between Israel and Hamas would cause tension on its territory.