French soldier stabbed in Paris, weeks before Olympics

The attack took place in the Gare de l'Est train station in Paris on Monday, according to France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. The soldier patrolled the area for Operation Sentinelle, an anti-terrorism military operation, less than two weeks before Paris will host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The soldier is in stable condition and the attacker has been arrested, Darmanin said. Authorities transferred the attacker, 40-year-old Christian Ingondo, to a psychiatric hospital under police supervision, the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office told the Associated Press.

Will this affect the Olympic games? French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu especially thanked the armed forces for their service after the attack. The military is working to ensure the safety of the French people now more than ever, he wrote. The city tightened security for the 2024 games and has not formally stated if the attack will change the already stringent security plans. Olympic administrators already barred over 3,500 people from working at the games after investigators found potential terrorism ties, Darmanin said over the weekend. Authorities also thwarted at least two terror attacks as the Olympic flame traveled across France, Darmanin said in a separate interview.

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