IS claims responsibility of Paris knife attack

Islamic State (IS) terrorist group has claimed the responsibility of the Paris knife attack in which the person who stabbed five people in Paris late on Saturday yelled "Allahu Akbar," meaning "God is great", city prosecutor François Molins said.

A man randomly attacked bystanders with a knife on Saturday night in central Paris. One victim died and two were seriously injured and two were wounded lightly.

The knife attacker, who French President Emmanuel Macron called a terrorist, is dead.

The incident took place in Opera district of central Paris and the site was about 400 metres away from Paris Opera House, reports Xinhua.

The media wing of IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement published online.

The Amaq News Agency said "the person who executed the stabbing in Paris is a soldier of the Islamic State." The statement also said the assailant acted in response to calls to attack anti-IS coalition countries.

IS did not provide proof to substantiate the claim and no authorities or security sources have yet verified the authenticity of the claim, CNN reported.

Macron said he salutes the courage of the police who "neutralied the terrorist" in the Paris knife attack, according to a tweet from his official account.

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb denounced "heinous act" and praised police "composure" and swift reaction to neutralise the attacker.

France has become a major target of frequent terrorist attacks in recent years.

A wave of attacks, claimed by the IS, had broken several times the calm at home with the bloodiest was in Paris where a series of explosives and shootings left 130 victims in November of 2015.

In October 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron signed anti-terrorism law which he said was necessary to muscle security at home to combat high terrorism menace.

The bill enshrines emergency security rules into ordinary law that allow police will have more power to search, arrest without judge approval and restrict people movements and gathering.

--IANS

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