Police arrest suspect after man stabs 3 women in Paris metro

Prosecutors told AFP that on Friday, while the capital’s end-of-year celebrations were in full flow, French police detained a man accused of stabbing three ladies in the Paris subway.

The RATP authority that oversees the transit service informed AFP that the three victims were attacked at three different points along the Line 3 metro track that crosses central Paris.

An AFP journalist at the Republique station saw a security team treating a woman who had been wounded in the leg and appeared to be in a state of shock.

The attacks happened between 4:15 pm (1515 GMT) and 4:45 pm at the stations Republique and Arts et Metiers — both next to the Marais district — and the Opera station, the RATP said.

“The victims were quickly taken care of by the emergency services,” it said.

Paris police said two of the women attacked were treated by the emergency services and taken to hospital, but they were not in critical condition. A third woman turned up at hospital seeking treatment, they added.

Police used surveillance-camera footage and mobile-tracking tools to locate the 25-year-old suspected attacker in the Val d’Oise region north of Paris, said prosecutors.

“Activating the geolocation of his mobile phone led to his arrest late afternoon in Val d’Oise,” they said.

“The police are on site. Back-up security teams have been deployed to reinforce safety on the line,” it added.

Transport police have opened an investigation into attempted homicide and assault with a weapon.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, the man was a citizen of Malia who was imprisoned in January 2024 for charges of aggravated theft and sexual assault. After being released in July, he was forced to depart France.

According to the statement, the guy was detained in an administrative detention facility, but after 90 days, as required by law, he was freed since he was unable to secure the consular travel permit needed for his deportation.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez “regrets that the deportation of the suspect could not be carried out” and assured that “efforts are continuing to prioritise the deportation of undocumented foreigners who have committed public order offences”, according to the ministry statement.