PARIS — A man attacked and wounded six people at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris on Wednesday morning, leaving one with serious injuries, before being shot by off-duty police officers, authorities said.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters the man attacked travelers with what looked like a home-made weapon at 6:42 a.m. local time (5:42 GMT) at the entrance and inside the station. Police had earlier said the man had used a knife or blade.
Within a minute, off-duty police officers returning home after a night shift shot the attacker three times, Darmanin said.
Gare du Nord, one of the busiest stations in Europe, is the arrival point of the Eurostar train from London and a major gateway to the north of Europe.
Asked about possible terrorist motives, Darmanin said a criminal investigation had been opened but that so far no investigation for terrorism had been opened.
French police stand guard near the scene at Paris’ Gare du Nord train station after a knife attack injured several people on Jan. 11, 2023. AFP via Getty ImagesHe said the attacker, who has been taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, had said nothing during the attack and had no identity papers on him. One of the six injured is a police officer, Darmanin said.
Police secured the area following the attack. Radio franceinfo, quoting rail operator SNCF, said trains were operating normally.
In February 2022, police killed a man who attacked them with a knife at the Gare du Nord station. In October 2017, a man who stabbed two people at the Marseille train station was shot and killed by soldiers.
