By Canadian Press

France: Police officer fatally stabbed, attacker shot dead

Apr 23, 2021 | 9:05 AM

PARIS — A French police officer was stabbed to death inside her police station Friday near the historic Rambouillet chateau outside Paris, and fellow officers shot and killed the suspected attacker at the scene, authorities said.

The identity and motive of the assailant were not immediately clear, a national police spokesperson told The Associated Press. The police officer was a 49-year-old administrative employee in the station, the spokesperson said.

Investigators were looking into whether there might have been a link to terrorism, but the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said it is not currently involved in the investigation.

“We are in a state of astoundment,” Karl Olive, vice-president of the regional council, said on BFM television.

The attack took place southwest of Paris just inside the police station in a quiet residential area of the town of Rambouillet, about 750 metres (yards) from a former royal estate that is sometimes used for international peace negotiations. Police cordons ringed the area after the stabbing.

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French Prime Minister Jean Castex, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and other top officials visited the scene of the attack to show their support for police.

France has seen deadly attacks against police in the past, including some by Islamic extremists.

The Associated Press