France Terror Attack: Islamist Knifeman Kills 1, Wounds 3

THE NEWS

37-year-old Algerian-born man on France’s terrorism watchlist launched a knife attack in the city of Mulhouse​, located in a region that borders Germany and Switzerland.

He stabbed several people near a busy market, killing a 69-year-old passerby who tried to intervene and wounding three others (including police officers) before being stopped and arrested at the scene​.

The suspect arrived in France illegaly in 2014, and was arrested and convicted of glorifying terrorism in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Authorities have called the attack an “Islamist terrorist act.”

A further three people were in custody in connection with the case Sunday, the PNAT prosecutors unit said, without giving details.

TIMELINE

4:00 PM, Feb 22, 2025 – Knife Attack at Mulhouse Market

• The attacker suddenly began a stabbing rampage outside the covered market in Mulhouse, a bustling area in eastern France​

• Witnesses reported hearing him shout “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great” in Arabic) multiple times as he lunged at bystanders and municipal police officers near the scene​.

• A 69-year-old man, a Portuguese citizen, was fatally wounded while attempting to intervene and protect others​.

• Several people were injured in the chaos, including three police officers who confronted the assailant​.

~4:05 PM, Feb 22, 2025 – Suspect Arrested

• Within minutes, Mulhouse police officers on patrol tackled and disarmed the knife-wielding suspect​.

• The 37-year-old attacker was arrested at the scene after a brief but violent struggle​.

• Two officers suffered serious stab wounds during the confrontation – one to the neck (carotid artery) and another to the chest – while a third officer sustained a lighter injury​.

• Emergency medical teams rushed the wounded to the hospital as additional police secured the area.

Evening, Feb 22, 2025 – Anti-Terror Investigation Launched

• By that evening, France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT) announced it had taken charge of the case, indicating that authorities were treating the stabbing as a terror-related incident​.

• Investigators began collecting evidence at the cordoned-off crime scene under floodlights, as soldiers from France’s Sentinel security operation guarded the perimeter of the market​.

• President Emmanuel Macron, speaking from Paris at an unrelated event, told reporters there was “without any doubt an act of Islamist terrorism” in Mulhouse​.

• He also dispatched Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau to Mulhouse to oversee the response and brief local officials​.

Late Night, Feb 22, 2025 – President Macron Responds

• On the sidelines of France’s annual agriculture fair that evening, Macron publicly condemned the Mulhouse stabbing as an “Islamist terrorist act”, affirming “there is no doubt” about the attack’s nature.

• He offered condolences to the victim’s family and praised the injured officers for their courage, stating that the “solidarity of the nation” is with them​.

• Macron vowed that the government would continue doing “everything to eradicate terrorism on our soil” in the wake of the attack​.

• Security was tightened in public areas of Mulhouse overnight, and residents were urged to remain vigilant but calm as the investigation got underway.

Feb 23, 2025 – Suspect’s Background Revealed

• The following day, officials disclosed new details about the arrested attacker. According to the anti-terror prosecutor’s office, the suspect is a 37-year-old Algerian national who was already on a terrorism watchlist known as the FSPRT and was under an order to leave French territory due to immigration violations​.

• Interior Minister Retailleau confirmed that French authorities had attempted to deport the man multiple times in the past, but Algeria refused to issue travel documents to take him back on “10 occasions,” leaving him in limbo in France​.

• Investigators also noted the man had a history of psychiatric issues – described by Retailleau as “a schizophrenic profile” – though officials stressed that the attack is being treated foremost as a terrorism case​.

• A further three people were in custody in connection with the case Sunday, the PNAT prosecutors unit said, without giving details.

REACTIONS

President Emmanuel Macron: Macron condemned the stabbing within hours, calling it “without any doubt an act of Islamist terrorism”​.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau : Retailleau traveled to Mulhouse on the night of the attack and briefed reporters at the local police station. He revealed that the suspect was known to authorities, describing the man as having “a schizophrenic profile” and noting the attack’s “psychiatric dimension” alongside its extremist nature​.

“Once again, it is Islamist terrorism that has struck,” Retailleau said, characterizing the crime as an Islamist terror attack​.

Prime Minister François Bayrou: The Prime Minister joined the chorus of condemnation the next day. “Fanaticism has struck again, and we are in mourning,” Bayrou said in an official statement, conveying the nation’s sorrow and anger​.

He praised the bravery of the police officers who were injured subduing the attacker and called for unity in confronting the threat of terrorism.

Mulhouse Mayor Michèle Lutz: On the day of the attack, the mayor of Mulhouse, Michèle Lutz, expressed her shock and sorrow on Facebook. “Horror has just gripped our city,” Lutz wrote, as news of the stabbing spread​.

She extended sympathies to the victims and their families, thanking the first responders and police who intervened to stop the attacker. Lutz urged residents to remain calm and united, and later announced that flags in the city would be lowered in memory of the victim (in line with the city’s tribute to those lost).

WHAT’S NEXT

The investigation into the Mulhouse terror attack is ongoing, led by France’s anti-terrorism prosecutors (PNAT).

In the coming days, the 37-year-old suspect will remain in custody as authorities gather evidence and piece together his motives and possible connections.

He is expected to face formal charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise – the classification already announced by PNAT​.