Paris police reported on Thursday that an assailant stabbed a policeman in the city center, near the Arc de Triumphe, was shortly neutralized, and later succumbed to his wounds. Although there is no suspicion of terrorism or connection to the Olympic Games, the incident adds to the tension in Paris ahead of the Olympic Games next week.
The Olympic Games will open in Paris on July 26 with a complex opening ceremony that will also cross the Seine River. On Thursday, as part of the heightened security preparations for the opening ceremony, French security forces began setting up checkpoints in the city center. Certain areas will be closed to vehicles until the opening ceremony, and strict security guidelines will require special permits to pass through the checkpoints.
Approximately 45,000 police officers and more than 10,000 soldiers will secure the Olympics, and France will receive assistance from several countries, including Israel. About 10 million spectators are expected to attend the Olympic Games, with around 10,000 athletes taking part in the games this year. Ahead of the Olympics, France has raised preparedness in Paris and throughout the country to the highest level, working to mitigate potential terrorist threats.
According to the French Interior Ministry, Paris approached 46 countries requesting to send 2,185 police officers to assist with securing the Olympics in January. At the same time, the French Defense Ministry stated that it also requested a small number of soldiers for "specific purposes," including canine units.
An Interior Ministry official said it is not uncommon for a country hosting a major event to request for assistance from other countries. He noted that France asked its allies to send 160 police officers for the World Rugby Championship held last year in France. Compared to rugby, the Olympics in Paris are a much larger event.
On Wednesday, an 18-year-old neo-Nazi was arrested in eastern France, who managed a Telegram group called the "French Aryan Division," where he called to commit attacks during the Olympics, including at the Olympic opening ceremony. On Monday, a soldier was stabbed at a train station in Paris by a man armed with a knife. In another incident, in May, a Chechen youth was arrested for planning an Islamist attack during the Olympics.
Amid terrorism alerts, the French police began investigating Wednesday's incident at a café in Paris, where a driver rammed his car into customers. He killed one person and injured six others. Initially, it was thought to be an accident, but Paris prosecutors now say it is a homicide and attempted homicide investigation. The driver fled his car after ramming the café customers, was arrested, and underwent a psychiatric evaluation on Thursday.