A man armed with a knife who tried to attack several gendarmes at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris this Friday, February 13, and who had been shot by officers, died from his injuries, confirmed the French Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office.

First modification: 02/13/2026 - 23:32 Last modification: 02/13/2026 - 23:42

A man who tried to attack members of the French Gendarmerie with a knife near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Friday, February 13, was shot by officers and later died from his wounds, said the French Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (PNAT).

"The person under investigation died as a result of his injuries," the PNAT said in a statement.

The Gendarmerie is a military organization with fundamentally police missions within the French national territory.

This body indicated that it opened an investigation for "charges of attempted murder of persons holding public authority (PDAP) in relation to a terrorist objective, and participation in a criminal terrorist association of criminals."

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The investigations will be carried out by the anti-terrorist section of the Paris criminal brigade, the Directorate of the Judicial Police (DPJ-PP) and the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI).

According to what was investigated by the Prosecutor's Office, a man attacked a member of the National Gendarmerie with a knife and scissors shortly after 6:00 p.m. local time (17:00 GMT) in the Place de l'Étoile, where the Arc de Triomphe stands.

"Another gendarme responded by using his service weapon to neutralize the assailant. The attacked gendarme did not suffer injuries, since the knife collided with the collar of his trench coat," the authorities indicated.

President Emmanuel Macron stated: "Tonight, at the Arc de Triomphe, while the Flame was being rekindled, a terrorist attack targeted the Republican Guard. I congratulate the exemplary bravery and serenity of our gendarmes and soldiers deployed in Operation Sentinel: they put an end to the attack and avoided the worst. I express the nation's solidarity with the wounded gendarme."

And he added: "We also think with emotion of the high school students present and the members of the Flame Committee. In the face of Islamist terrorism, the republican flame will always remain firm."

According to the authorities, the attacker, born in 1978, was of French nationality and had been sentenced to 17 years of criminal confinement by the Brussels court of first instance on June 25, 2013 for attempted murder for terrorist purposes against three police officers in Molenbeek, on June 8, 2012.

After having been imprisoned in Belgium, he was transferred to France on January 27, 2015 "following a decision recognizing the enforceability of the judgment of the Brussels court."

The PNTA explained that the man was released from prison on December 24, 2025 after having served his sentence.

"Since then, he was subject to monitoring within the framework of judicial surveillance ordered by the sentencing court on June 17, 2025. In addition, he was subject to an individual measure of administrative control and surveillance (MICAS)," the Prosecutor's Office reported.

The French Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, explained that the attack was directed at the agents who were preparing the daily ceremony at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is located under the Arc de Triomphe.

The attacker had called this Friday at the Aulnay-sous-Bois police station, in the northeast of Paris, to declare that he was going to "commit an attack in Paris against soldiers."

In a video broadcast by BFMTV television, the man can be seen surrounded by police officers, before being neutralized by gunshots and falling against a police van.

Apparently, according to the media, before attacking the wounded gendarme he shouted:

"They shouldn't have killed our women and children, we'll see who triumphs under the Arc de Triomphe."

Initially, a security cordon was established in the area, although traffic on this important Paris road artery returned completely to normal at 8:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. GMT).

With EFE and Reuters

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