(CNN) — French police have arrested a man suspected of killing one person and injuring two others in central Paris, France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told reporters at the scene on Saturday night.
The attack unfolded at Bir Hakeim, near the Eiffel Tower, with the assailant using a knife and hammer, he said.
One man – a German tourist born in the Philippines – was killed in the attack and two others sustained non-life threatening injuries, he added.
One of the police officers responding to the scene used a taser to neutralize the attacker, Darmanin said. The suspect’s life is not at risk, he said.
“After his arrest, he said he could no longer bear to see Muslims dying in both Afghanistan and Palestine,” Darmanin said.
Suspect was known to intelligence services
Addressing reporters, Darmanin added that the suspect was a French citizen born in France in 1997 who had been sentenced to four years in prison back in 2016 for planning “violent action.”
The suspect was known to intelligence services for having “serious psychiatric disorders,” Darmanin said.
Darmanin said he had been told by police that the attacker had reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the assault.
Videos taken at the scene showed police cars, ambulances and the Paris Fire Brigade arriving, with heavy traffic being diverted away. Numerous cordons were also set up.
Members of the public have been advised to avoid the area.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “One dead, two injured in Paris knife and hammer attack near Eiffel Tower, French interior minister says.”
