A suspected Islamist terrorist has been shot in Paris after charging at French police officers near the Arc de Triomphe.
Brahim Bahrir, who was only released from prison in December after serving 12 years on terrorism charges, attacked officers with a bladed weapon in the city's 8th arrondissement shortly after 6pm local time (5pm GMT).
The knife attack is said to have taken place during the Rekindling of the Flame ceremony, a daily, solemn service held under the Arc de Triomphe to honour the Unknown Soldier and French war victims.
Sources have claimed the individual, 48, was already known to authorities in France having been convicted of terrorism charges for attempted murder committed in Belgium.
He was later named as Brahim Bahrir.
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Emmanuel Macron, the French president, posted on X: A"t the Arc de Triomphe this evening, as the Flame was being rekindled, a terrorist attack targeted the Republican Guard.
"I salute the exemplary courage and cool-headedness of our gendarmes and our Sentinelle military personnel: they put an end to the attack and averted the worst. I express the Nation’s solidarity with the injured gendarme."
He added: "We also think with emotion of the schoolchildren who were present, as well as the members of the Flame Committee.
"In the face of Islamist terrorism, the republican flame will always endure.
The suspect reportedly attacked officers with a bladed weapon in the city's 8th arrondissement
|X
French police locked down the scene following the terror attack
|REUTERS
According to Le Figaro, the suspect shouted: “Our women and children should not have been killed ... we’ll see who triumphs under the Arc de Triomphe.”
After being shot at least three times by an officer, the suspect was transported to the Georges-Pompidou European Hospital in a critical condition, news website Actu17 reports.
Local media said the suspect was the subject of a MICAS (Military Investigation and Support Measure), which is imposed by the interior ministry against individuals who pose a serious threat to public safety and order.
No other injuries were reported and an investigation into the incident is now ongoing.
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A cordon has been erected around the monument
|REUTERS
Emmanuel Macron suggested the attack was related to 'Islamist terrorism'
|X/EMMANUEL MACRON
In a statement, the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office said. "Following the events that occurred on February 13, 2026 in Paris, the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office has taken up these facts and opened a preliminary investigation.
"A magistrate from the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office is traveling to the scene in Paris."
Laurent Nuñez, France’s interior minister, said “the response was within the legal and regulatory framework”.
He added: “A man attempted to attack members of the gendarmerie with a knife, including members of the gendarmerie band who were preparing for the ceremony.
Laurent Nuñez, France’s interior minister, said the shooting was 'within the legal and regulatory framework'
|REUTERS
“This individual attempted to take the life of a gendarme.”
Jeanne d’Hauteserre, the mayor of Paris’s 8th District, announced a cordon had been set up in an area west of the Champs-Élysées.
Charles de Gaulle-Étoile station has also been closed for security reasons.
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