French police on Friday arrested a man suspected of stabbing three women inside the Paris metro, as the capital’s end-of-year celebrations were underway, prosecutors told AFP.
The attacks occurred around 4:00 p.m. local time on Line 3 of the metro, where the suspect allegedly stabbed three women at the République, Arts-et-Métiers, and Opéra stations, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Authorities identified the suspect through surveillance-camera footage and tracked his mobile phone’s geolocation, leading to his arrest later in the afternoon in the Val d’Oise region, north of Paris.
Prosecutors said they could not immediately specify the severity of the victims’ injuries.
A terrorist motive has reportedly been ruled out. Police believe the assault was carried out by a disturbed or psychologically fragile individual.
The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions in Paris, where memories of past terror attacks - including the 2015 coordinated ISIS attacks assaults that left 130 dead - still weigh heavily on the public.
French authorities have also warned of a worrying rise in antisemitic incidents across the country in recent months, contributing to a growing sense of insecurity among Jewish communities and the broader public.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)