A knife attacker has killed his mother and sister in the Paris suburb of Trappes and seriously wounded a third person, a French Interior Ministry source has said.
The young man, who killed his victims out in the street on Thursday before taking refuge in a house, was later shot dead by police when he left that house and ran towards them in a threatening way, a police source said.
"The police operation is over. The person was neutralised and is dead," the local prefecture said on Twitter.
The motive for the violence remains unclear but the Islamic State group claimed the attack via its propaganda channel.
BFM TV said the attacker shouted "Allahu Akbar" but police could not immediately confirm it.
Le secteur est bouclé #Trappes #attaque pic.twitter.com/vugz3w49gW — Marie Lombard (@Marie_Lombard_) August 23, 2018
"The reason behind the attack and his profile are not known yet and are being looked into," a police source said.
Experts have urged caution about the group's announcements, however, because it has lost credibility after recently claiming seemingly unrelated violence as it faces defeat on the battlefield in the Middle East.
"My first thoughts go to the victims and their loved ones," Interior Minister Gerard Collomb wrote on Twitter.
"I want to commend the security forces for their exemplary reaction and mobilisation."
A police source said the man had been on a terror watch list since 2016.
Counter-terrorism officials have yet to be asked to join the investigation, according to a judicial source.
Trappes is an underprivileged town situated in an overall wealthy area around 27km west of Paris, known for its social problems linked to poverty and gangs.
France remains on high alert after a string of attacks since 2015 that have claimed the lives of more than 240 victims.
Share
