France: Four injured in knife attack near former offices of Charlie Hebdo, suspicious package detected

Representative Image (Financial Express)

Four people have been injured in a knife attack near the former offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Friday. Two were critically injured in the attack and two suspects are on the run, the Paris Police department has stated. Officers are “actively hunting” for the perpetrators and the area has been cordoned off after a suspect package was spotted nearby.

The attack occurred near the Richard Lenoir Metro Station in Paris. Schools and care homes have been shut down in the area while the Police continues with the hunt. Journalist Lucas Burel confirmed that a suspicious package has been spotted.

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“I saw a young woman with a huge head injury, blood was running all over her face,” a witness told BFMTV. The Police has not released the identity of the attackers or the victims as of yet. The attack occurred as the trial into the Charlie Hebdo attack in 2015 gets underway.

Charlie Hebdo had decided to republish the cartoons on prophet Mohammed that led to the terrorist attack against them in 2015. Their decision to republish the cartoons had triggered widespread protests across the Muslim world and renewed calls for violence.

OpIndia Staff: Staff reporter at OpIndia