Paris metro stabbing suspect is French, says ministry
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of having stabbed and injured three women along the Paris metro’s Line 3 on Dec 26.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
PARIS – The suspect in the stabbing of three women in the Paris metro
A source with knowledge of the case, requesting anonymity because they are not allowed to speak to the press, said he had held a French passport since 2018.
The 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of having stabbed and injured three women along the Paris metro’s Line 3 on Dec 26, then admitted to a psychiatric hospital the next day, on Dec 27.
“The investigation uncovered a French passport belonging to the suspect,” the ministry said, adding that he had not once mentioned his French nationality during previous run-ins with police.
The ministry said on Dec 26 the man was a Malian citizen imprisoned in January 2024 for aggravated theft and sexual assault, and required to leave France after being released in July.
The man had been placed in an administrative detention centre, but failure to obtain a consular travel document required for his deportation meant he was released after 90 days as required by law, it said.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez last week called for “maximum vigilance” during the festive season in France. AFP
