Aug. 10 (UPI) — Two police officers in southern France were attacked and wounded by a bladed weapon-wielding assailant Monday evening, officials said, in what may have been a terrorism-related attack.
The suspect was apprehended, Toulouse Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc said in a statement.
The pair of municipal officers were patrolling Rue d’Austerlitz when attacked, he said, stating both were taken to Rangueil University Hospital for treatment. Officials did not comment on their conditions.
He said, “remarks of a terrorist nature were also reported.”
“My thoughts are with our officers, their families and their colleagues,” Moudenc said.
“I offer them my full support and wish them a speedy recovery.”
Uncorroborated video of the arrest posted online shows a man fighting with three police officers, two of whom are wielding batons, on the sidewalk of an empty street. The suspect gets past two officers and lunges at a third, who sprays him with an apparent irritant. As the suspect attacks that officer, one of the others grabs him around the neck and tackles him to the ground.
Alliance Police Nationale, a major French police union, said the suspect allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar,” an Arabic expression meaning “God is greatest,” during the attack.
“Behind the uniform, it is people who are being attacked. But what they represent is also being targeted: order, the law and authority,” Alliance PN said in an online statement.
“Unreserved support for our colleagues.”
Toulouse is the capital of France’s southern Occitanie region and is located near the France-Spain border and 420 miles south of Paris.
France remains on heightened terrorism alert-level since June 22.
On July 27, three women were attacked with a man armed with knifes in Paris. The suspect was subdued by bystanders, and an off-duty police officer detained him.
The women were hospitalized, with the last being discharged late last week.
