An Afghan man holding a knife and an iron bar attacked 11 people near a canal in Paris’s 19th district on Mondy night, September 10th, 2018, just before 21:00 GMT (5:00 EDT). Two of the victims were British tourists – the two men suffered stab wounds to the stomach and chest. The man first stabbed two men and a woman near the MK2 cinema on the Quai de Loire, reports say.  

Youssef Najah, an eyewitness, 28, said he was walking beside the canal when he saw the man running, holding a 10-11-inch-long knife. Najah says, “there were around 20 people chasing him. They started throwing pétanque balls (metal, hollow balls) at him.”  

He added that “around four or five balls hit him in the head, but they weren’t able to stop him.” The man continued to attack the two British tourists in a street nearby. Najah also added that the attacker ran into an alleyway and tried to hide behind the two tourists, they were then attacked. Another bystander by the name of Smain managed to disarm the attacker. Smain said that he “Saw the man go by. I didn’t understand at first.  

Then he went towards the swimming pool on the canal. That’s where he started hitting people with an iron bar then he stabbed someone. Girls started screaming,” said Smain. “We managed to surround him, me with a stick, another with an iron bar. One of us hit him. One threw a boule, another a broken wooden crate at his back. He threatened us with his knife in all directions.”  

The attacker eventually lost his balance as Smail said that he managed to, “strike the hand holding the knife. Then I jumped on him and got him on the ground. I managed to get him to drop his weapon.”  

“I’m not a hero,” added Smail, “Anyone would have done it.” 

The mayor of Paris thanked the officers of the police anti-crime squad and the people who tried to stop the attacker. “I would like to thank the officers of the BAC for their responsiveness and professionalism. By interpelling with the perpetrator, they avoided other victims. I also salute the passersby who have been courageously interposed and have come to the aid of the wounded. #Paris19” 

According to Frech police, there is nothing to indicate that the attack was an act of terrorism.