Overview
- Three women were lightly wounded in knife attacks on line 3 at the République, Arts-et-Métiers and Opéra stations on December 26.
- The suspect was identified through metro video surveillance and the geolocation of his mobile phone, then arrested the same day at his home in Sarcelles (Val-d’Oise).
- His custody was lifted after a medical assessment deemed it incompatible with his health and he was transferred to a psychiatric infirmary; during the brief custody he allegedly said he acted “to relieve himself,” according to Europe 1, and a terrorist motive is not favored at this stage.
- A search recovered two large knives and a French passport in his name; the Interior Ministry says initial checks do not contradict that he is French, with reports citing a 2018 naturalization, and verifications are ongoing.
- Authorities cite prior convictions, a January 2024 incarceration and a July 2025 release followed by an OQTF and administrative detention that failed for lack of a consular laissez-passer, a sequence now drawing renewed scrutiny of retention and expulsion practices.