2020 Paris stabbing attack

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2020 Paris stabbing attack
Part of Islamic terrorism in Europe
Location10 Rue Nicolas-Appert, 11th arrondissement of Paris, France
Date25 September 2020 (2020-09-25)
Attack type
Stabbing
WeaponsKnife
Deaths0
Injured2
Motive Islamic extremism, jihadism

On 25 September 2020, two people were injured in a stabbing outside the former headquarters of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. The building had previously been the site of an Islamic terrorist attack in 2015. [1]

Contents

The French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin considered this to be "clearly an act of Islamist terrorism." [2]

A man from Pakistan, suspected of carrying out the attacks, was arrested near the scene. [3] He was later identified as Zaheer Hassan Mehmood. Six other suspects were subsequently arrested in Paris in connection with the attack. [4] They were convicted and sentenced to prison terms reaching up to 30 years in 2025.

Stabbing

The stabbings occurred in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, near the Boulevard Richard-Lenoir. The victims consisted of a man and a woman. Both were employees of the television production company Premières Lignes who were on a cigarette break and sustained serious injuries from a meat cleaver. The attacker fled to the Paris Metro but was arrested in the nearby Bastille neighbourhood with blood on his clothing. A suspicious package was found near the scene, but was found to be harmless. Nearby Paris Metro stations were closed while five schools were placed under a five-hour lockdown. A security cordon was established in the arrondissement. [5] [1] [6]

Response

Later that day, the site was visited by Prime Minister Jean Castex, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, during which Castex reiterated the government's "firm commitment to combat terrorism by all possible means". [6]

Investigation

Main suspect

The main suspect was identified as Zaheer Hassan Mehmood, [7] a 25-year-old Pakistani man, [8] who is charged with "attempted murder in association with a terrorist enterprise." [9] [10] The suspect acknowledged having carried out the attack for religious reasons. [11] He claimed to be 18 in order to be eligible for social welfare benefits. [8]

Before the attack, he stated in a video that he was seeking vengeance against Charlie Hebdo for publishing caricatures of Islam's prophet Muhammad. [12]

The suspect left his village in the Punjab region in Pakistan in early 2018 and came to Europe, following his brothers and other young men from the village. According to Associated Press, villagers considered the suspect a hero for carrying out the Paris attack. The suspect's father championed his son's actions, but was warned by Pakistani police against speaking publicly. [12]

In France, the suspect moved to Pantin, a working-class district with many immigrants from North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and Pakistan. He shared an apartment with several other Pakistanis above a Hookah bar. [13]

During the course of the investigation, it was found that Mahmood had carried out the attack not knowing that Charlie Hebdo had moved to a secret location following the 2015 attack. He was also found to have been influenced by radical Pakistani Islamic preacher Khadim Hussain Rizvi. On 24 January 2025, Mahmood was convicted of attempted murder and terrorist conspiracy and sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment and expulsion from France upon his release. Mahmood apologised to the victims. [5]

Accomplices

In December 2020, four Pakistanis aged 17 to 21 were found to have been in contact with the assailant by authorities and were taken into custody. Two were apprehended in the Gironde, a third in Caen and the fourth in the Paris region. According to authorities, they had "spread their ideology and one of them had expressed his hatred against France before the attack". The investigation had also found numerous messages published on the TikTok social media network where the suspects expressed their hatred towards Muhammad caricatures and "glorified" the assault by their compatriot. [14]

On the same day as Mahmood's conviction, five of his accomplices were sentenced to between three to 12 years' imprisonment on terrorist conspiracy charges for supporting Mahmood. [5]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "French police detain main suspect in 'symbolic' attack outside Charlie Hebdo's former office". France 24. 25 September 2020.
  2. ↑ "Paris: Knife attack near former Charlie Hebdo office 'clearly' act of terrorism | DW | 25.09.2020". Deutsche Welle.
  3. ↑ Méheut, Constant (26 September 2020). "Paris Attack Suspect Said It Was Aimed at Paper That Mocked Islam's Prophet". New York Times.
  4. ↑ "Seven detained after knife attack near ex-Charlie Hebdo offices". BBC News. 26 September 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Man jailed for 30 years for Charlie Hebdo meat cleaver attack". BBC . Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Paris attack: Two people stabbed near former Charlie Hebdo office". BBC. 26 September 2020.
  7. ↑ "Attaque devant les ex-locaux de « Charlie » : le suspect mis en examen pour « tentatives d'assassinats » terroristes". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Attaque à Paris : l'assaillant a reconnu être âgé de 25 ans et non 18". Le Figaro.fr (in French). 29 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  9. ↑ "ATTAQUE À PARIS : ZAHEER HASSAN MAHMOUD MIS EN EXAMEN ET ÉCROUÉ POUR «TENTATIVES D'ASSASSINATS» TERRORISTES". C News France (in French). AFP. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020. ...a été présenté à un juge d'instruction qui l'a mis en examen pour "tentatives d'assassinats en relation avec une entreprise terroriste"
  10. ↑ "Suspected Paris knife attacker to be charged with attempted murder". euronews. 29 September 2020.
  11. ↑ "Attaque au couteau à Paris : le profil du suspect, Hassan Mahmoud, se précise". L'Internaute (in French). 29 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020. Le principal suspect, Zaheer Hassan Mahmoud, a reconnu avoir attaqué deux personnes dans la rue, pour des motifs religieux. [The main suspect, Zaheer Hassan Mahmoud, admitted to attacking two people in the street, on religious grounds.]
  12. 1 2 "Before attack, a Pakistani teen sought better life in France". AP NEWS. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  13. ↑ "Before attack, a Pakistani teen sought better life in France". AP NEWS. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  14. ↑ "Attaque devant les ex-locaux de Charlie Hebdo : quatre interpellations dont deux en Gironde". SudOuest.fr (in French). Retrieved 31 December 2020.

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