Police shot and killed a Tunisian national in Marseille on Tuesday after he attacked five people at a hotel and on a nearby street.
The 32-year-old, legally residing in France, was armed with two knives and a baton when officers confronted him near the Old Port. He ignored orders to disarm before being shot. He died despite attempts to resuscitate him.
NEW: A 35-year-old Tunisian man was shot and killed by police in Marseille, France, after stabbing at least four people while shouting “Allah Akbar.”
The attacker was in a dispute with hotel staff over unpaid rent when he attacked four people, including the hotel manager and a… pic.twitter.com/WC95tPNBQo
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According to Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone, the violence began after the man was evicted from a hotel for non-payment. He returned, stabbed his roommate, who remains in critical condition, and then attacked the hotel manager and the manager’s son as they ran outside.
He then struck two people with his baton on Cours Belsunce, a busy shopping street, and tried to stab a kebab shop manager before customers forced him away.
Prosecutors have already opened an investigation into the incident.
Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan voiced his full support for everyone affected by Tuesday’s attack and commended the police for their swift response. “The security of the women and men of Marseille is my priority,” he wrote on social media.
