Islamic State on Sunday claimed responsibility for the knife attack at France’s Marseille train station where two women were killed, Reuters reported. The extremist organisation made the announcement through its Amaq news agency.
France’s national police had said the assailant in Marseille was “neutralised and shot down” earlier on Sunday. The perpetrator allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” before the attack, an official told Le Monde.
The nation’s military is part of the United States-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Amaq and also has an armed presence in West Africa, where it is fighting al Qaeda-linked militants. Extremist groups have been using this as a reason to urge their followers to target France, Reuters reported.
On Twitter, President Emmanuel Macron condemned the “barbaric act” and praised the calmness and efficiency of security forces. French legislators will vote on an anti-terrorism law on Tuesday, which could lift the state-of-emergency imposed on France by November.
The state-of-emergency includes Operation Sentinelle, which involves combat troops patrolling streets and protecting key sites. The Marseille station was one of the designated sites. On September 17, two American students were injured in an acid attack at the same railway station, though that was not linked with terrorism.
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