New Delhi:
Two people were killed in a knife attack at Frances’ southern port city Marseille’s Saint-Charles station on Sunday. The security forces patrolling at the station premised have gunned down the attacker.
Regional police officer chief Olivier de Mazieres told the media, “The attack occurred around 1:45 pm (France local time).”
He added that two victims were stabbed to death.
A source close to the investigation told AFP on condition of anonymity that the knifeman is believed to have shouted ‘Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest) before stabbing the commuters.
#Marseille : après l’attaque perpétrée à proximité de la gare Saint Charles, je me rends immédiatement sur les lieux.
— Gérard Collomb (@gerardcollomb) October 1, 2017
French police cordoned off the area and an operation was launched to nab any other suspects. The police have warned people to avoid Marseille's main train station amid reports of a knife attack.
A local official told the media that the attacker was shot dead by the soldiers, while people in the city were asked to avoid Saint-Charles station by the police.
The killing at the southern port city of the country came while France is on high alert towards terrorist attacks.
Gare #Marseille saint Charles évacuée, hommes en armes (assault), excitation... Bel accueil au retour à Massilia ! #sncf #attentat pic.twitter.com/bvLmVTtfWg
— Gratz Méthylène (@gratzmethylene) October 1, 2017
The knife attack is being investigated by France's anti-terror prosecutor.
France is been regular targeted by radical terrorists which began with January 2015 when jihadi gunmen killed 12 employees of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.
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The France government since then has launched Operation Sentinelle, deploying 7,000 troops across the country to guard attack-prone zones including transport hubs, religious buildings and tourist spots.
The attacks since 2015 have left 239 people dead, according to an AFP count before Sunday's incident.
