A man was arrested Wednesday in Le Mans after injuring several passers-by with a knife without this act having a “terrorist dimension” according to the first elements of the investigation, announced the prosecution of Le Mans. The man, claiming to be born in Afghanistan and aged 32, “attacked passers-by by stabbing them, while repeatedly uttering words in Arabic”, details prosecutor Delphine Dewailly, in a press release. Press.
An examination by a psychiatrist
Two people suffered “significant injuries” without their life being in danger, according to the magistrate. “The first elements collected do not establish a terrorist dimension to this action,” she underlines. The aggressor “was arrested, and placed in custody on the charge of attempted assassination. He is currently being examined by a psychiatrist in order to assess the compatibility of his mental and physical state with the police custody measure, ”says Ms. Dewailly.
“Of foreign nationality” and “recently settled in Le Mans”, the man arrested “benefits from a valid residence permit on national territory”, according to the prosecution. The investigation is entrusted to the Regional Service of the Judicial Police of Angers. “It will notably aim to specify the circumstances of the facts as well as to establish the motivations of their author”, according to the press release.
Earlier this year, a man had already attacked with a knife in the city of Le Mans several people, without causing serious injuries.