Law enforcement officers shot and killed a suspect. The terrorist trail has been ruled out at this stage of the investigation.
Published on 04/11/2024 09:57
Reading time: 3 min Police officers near the scene of a knife attack on the quays of Bordeaux (Gironde), April 10, 2024. (UGO AMEZ / SIPA)
A man suspected of having stabbed two people, killing one of them, on the quays of Bordeaux, Wednesday April 10, was shot dead by a police officer. The terrorist hypothesis has been ruled out, Franceinfo learned from a source close to the investigation. “The quays of Bordeaux, the beating heart of our city, are this evening struck by death”reacted the Minister for Public Accounts and Bordeaux municipal councilor, Thomas Cazenave. Here is what we know about the facts the day after the attack.
Two men were stabbed on the banks of the Garonne
The attack began near the Miroir d’eau, a popular place for walking on the banks of the Garonne, in the center of Bordeaux. According to our information, around 7:50 p.m., an individual stabbed a 37-year-old man of Algerian nationality. “I saw someone fall into someone else’s arms, we thought it was a cardiac arrest,” says a student present nearby, cited by France 3 New Aquitaine et France Blue Gironde. “But, after ten minutes, we saw the firefighters arrive and start massaging. We saw the white sheet and we knew it was over.”
The attacker continued his path along Quai Richelieu, where he attacked another person, seriously injuring them in the thigh and side. The life of this 26-year-old man, also of Algerian nationality, is no longer in danger.
In a video posted on social media, which is unclear whether it shows the first or second attack, a man is seen leaning down as if to stab. The bottom of the stage is hidden by a hedge, but we hear shouting “Stopped”.
Suspect shot dead by police officer
The suspect then continued towards the stone bridge, where he was spotted by a police patrol. In another video, we see a police officer with a machine gun aiming at a man who collapses and rolls down a few steps before sliding to the ground. “The assailant was threatening towards them and he was shot dead by a police officer”, confirmed the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office, cited by France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Three shots were heard, according to police and a witness on scene.
Bystanders crowded around the scene of the attack, but the perimeter was quickly cordoned off by police. Tram, bus and bicycle traffic was banned on the stone bridge, which was able to reopen on Thursday morning.
The terrorist trail ruled out
The identity of the suspect has not yet been made public. “The judicial investigation is ongoing”only announced the environmentalist mayor of Bordeaux, Pierre Hurmic, after visiting the site with the public prosecutor of Bordeaux and the prefect of Gironde.
The preferred avenue is that of a dispute which would have degenerated, linked to the fact that the two victims consumed alcohol, a source close to the investigation told franceinfo. The terrorist hypothesis is ruled out at this stage. “Nothing in the testimonies gives credence to the hypothesis of a terrorist attack”, reported an anti-terrorism source to France Télévisions on Wednesday evening. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office was informed of the events, but not contacted, according to the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office, contacted by France Télévisions. The prosecutor was not aware, Wednesday evening, of possible claims of the act on the part of the attacker.