- Home » Expat News » British expats in Marseilles warned after terror attack
British expats in Marseilles warned after terror attack
| Published: | 3 Oct at 6 PM |
Want to get involved?
Become a Featured Expat and take our interview.
Become a Local Expert and contribute articles.
Get in touch today!
Become a Local Expert and contribute articles.
Get in touch today!
Britons living in Marseilles have been warned to take care after a terror attack killed two women at the city’s main rail station.
Witnesses of the attack saw a man wielding a knife attack and kill two young women outside Marseilles’ main railway station whilst shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’, the Arabic for ‘God is great’. According to French Minister of the Interior Gerard Collomb, it’s not yet certain the murders could be classified as a terrorist incident as police are still studying a video of the attack.
The video footage clearly showed a man attacking the first woman and running away, then returning to stab the second woman before running towards soldiers arriving on the scene from inside the station. He was shot dead by the military and both victims died of their wounds. According to local media, police are now interviewing 10 witnesses to the murders, with sources stating one woman had her throat cut and the other died form multiple stab wounds.
The UK Foreign Office has issued a warning to British visitors and expats living in Marseilles, advising them to take care and act according to advice given out by local security authorities. French President Emmanuel Macron told the nation he was outraged by the barbarity of the attack and paid tribute to the bravery of the French soldiers who, he said, responded with efficiency and coolness.
Later, the news broke that the killer had been arrested, questioned and released by police the day before the murders. In a news conference announcement, prosecutor Francois Molins told journalists the man was using seven different names and identities and was the holder of a Tunisian passport. Islamic State has since claimed responsibility for the murders but did not name the killer.
Sadly, France has become a magnet for Islamic terrorism since the November 2015 killing of 130 people in Paris, the January Charlie Hebdo attack also in the capital, and last November’s Bastille Day atrocity in Nice. France’s military force of around 7,000, created especially to cover sensitive sites, is now set to continue for an unspecified amount of time.
Witnesses of the attack saw a man wielding a knife attack and kill two young women outside Marseilles’ main railway station whilst shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’, the Arabic for ‘God is great’. According to French Minister of the Interior Gerard Collomb, it’s not yet certain the murders could be classified as a terrorist incident as police are still studying a video of the attack.
The video footage clearly showed a man attacking the first woman and running away, then returning to stab the second woman before running towards soldiers arriving on the scene from inside the station. He was shot dead by the military and both victims died of their wounds. According to local media, police are now interviewing 10 witnesses to the murders, with sources stating one woman had her throat cut and the other died form multiple stab wounds.
The UK Foreign Office has issued a warning to British visitors and expats living in Marseilles, advising them to take care and act according to advice given out by local security authorities. French President Emmanuel Macron told the nation he was outraged by the barbarity of the attack and paid tribute to the bravery of the French soldiers who, he said, responded with efficiency and coolness.
Later, the news broke that the killer had been arrested, questioned and released by police the day before the murders. In a news conference announcement, prosecutor Francois Molins told journalists the man was using seven different names and identities and was the holder of a Tunisian passport. Islamic State has since claimed responsibility for the murders but did not name the killer.
Sadly, France has become a magnet for Islamic terrorism since the November 2015 killing of 130 people in Paris, the January Charlie Hebdo attack also in the capital, and last November’s Bastille Day atrocity in Nice. France’s military force of around 7,000, created especially to cover sensitive sites, is now set to continue for an unspecified amount of time.
Comments » No published comments just yet for this article...
Feel free to have your say on this item. Go on... be the first!
