Paris police shoot and injure a knife-wielding man who tried to attack officers at Arc de Triomphe

French farmers park their tractor in front of the Arc de Triomphe during a protest Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva, File)

PARIS — A man wielding a knife and scissors was fatally shot by police in Paris on Friday when he tried to attack an officer during a ceremony at the city’s Arc de Triomphe monument, officials said.

The suspect, a French national born in 1978 who had previously been convicted in Belgium on terrorist-related charges, died at hospital from his injuries, the French counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said. Authorities did not release the suspect’s name.

The attacker targeted an officer who was guarding the ceremony for relighting the eternal flame honouring unknown soldiers at the Napoleon-era landmark, according to a Paris police official. Another officer shot the attacker, the official said. No bystanders or police officers were injured in the incident, the official told The Associated Press.

Before the suspect had died, the French counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation on charges of attempted murder “in connection with a terrorist enterprise.”

The assailant had been sentenced to 17 years in prison by a court in Brussels in 2013 for attempted murders in connection with a terrorist enterprise against three police officers in the Belgian city of Molenbeek the previous year, according to the prosecutor’s office.

First incarcerated in Belgium, he was then transferred to France in 2015 to serve the rest of his sentence. He was released from prison on Dec. 24, 2025, and had since been subject to judicial supervision and surveillance measures, the statement said.

The Arc de Triomphe is one of Paris’ most famous sites, and sits atop the busy Champs-Elysees avenue.

A large police presence was visible Friday evening near the monument, which was closed to the public. The traffic circle surrounding the Arc de Triomphe remained open to vehicles.

The nearby metro station was closed for security reasons at the request of police, Paris public transport operator RATP said.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez expressed his “full support to the officer who intervened and acted with composure and determination in the face of the terrorist threat,” in a message posted on X.