France: Police officer shoots man with knife at Montparnasse station in Paris

Milan, 14 November (LaPresse) – A police officer fired a gunshot at the Montparnasse railway station in Paris at a man armed with a knife who was known to the authorities. This was reported by the Paris public prosecutor’s office to the broadcaster Bfmtv. A source indicated that terrorism has been ruled out at this stage. ‘From the initial information we have received, it appears that a man known for domestic violence brandished a knife and that a police officer used his weapon to stop him,’ the Paris prosecutor’s office said, ‘the man then stabbed himself.’ Shortly before, a police operation had been launched to arrest the man, who was threatening to go to his ex-wife’s home and harm her. Once arrested, he refused to obey and began to harm himself with the knife he was carrying. He is now in hospital in critical condition. A passer-by was injured, but not seriously. ‘Following police intervention to stop an individual, a security perimeter has been set up in a small section of Paris Montparnasse station,’ said French rail services company SNCF, ‘traffic is slightly disrupted.’ Trains are experiencing delays of between 20 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes.