Paris Attack Near Eiffel Tower Leaves German Tourist Dead, 2 Hurt

Forensic police work at the scene of a stabbing in Paris on December 2, 2023. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
Forensic police work at the scene of a stabbing in Paris on December 2, 2023. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
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Paris Attack Near Eiffel Tower Leaves German Tourist Dead, 2 Hurt

Forensic police work at the scene of a stabbing in Paris on December 2, 2023. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
Forensic police work at the scene of a stabbing in Paris on December 2, 2023. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)

A German tourist died and two other people, including a British citizen, were hurt after an attack by a man armed with a knife and hammer near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Saturday, in what President Emmanuel Macron described as "a terrorist attack".
Police quickly arrested the 26-year-old man, a French national, after subduing him with a Taser stun gun, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters on Saturday.
The suspect had in 2016 been sentenced to four years in prison for planning another attack, and had been on the French security services' watch list, the minister said, adding that he was also known for having psychiatric disorders.
The man attacked a tourist couple on Saturday evening with a knife on the Quai de Grenelle, a few feet from the Eiffel Tower, mortally wounding the German national.
He was then chased by police and attacked two other people with a hammer, including the Briton, before being arrested.
"We are supporting a British man who was injured in Paris and are in contact with the local authorities," said a spokesperson for the British foreign ministry.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on X that he was "shocked" by the attack.
France has been on high alert since raising its security threshold in October, when a Chechen-origin man with a knife killed a teacher in a school in northern France.
The attack in central Paris comes less than eight months before the French capital is due to host the Olympic Games and could raise questions about security at the global sporting event.



Biden to Lobby Trump Administration Not to Walk Away from Ukraine

 US President Joe Biden meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House in Washington, US, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House in Washington, US, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Biden to Lobby Trump Administration Not to Walk Away from Ukraine

 US President Joe Biden meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House in Washington, US, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House in Washington, US, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)

US President Joe Biden will discuss top domestic and foreign policy priorities with President-elect Donald Trump when the two meet on Wednesday, and lobby the incoming administration not to abandon Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.

Republican Trump will take office on Jan. 20 after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 presidential election. Biden invited Trump to come to the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House said.

In an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation" show, Sullivan said Biden's top message will be his commitment to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, and he will also talk to Trump about what's happening in Europe, in Asia and the Middle East.

"The President will have the chance to explain to President Trump how he sees things, where they stand, and talk to President Trump about how President Trump is thinking about taking on these issues when he takes office," Sullivan said.

A key topic will likely be Ukraine's war with Russia, which Trump has pledged to end swiftly although he did not say how.

"President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe," Sullivan said.

When asked if that means Biden will ask Congress to pass legislation to authorize more funding for Ukraine, Sullivan deferred.

"I'm not here to put forward a specific legislative proposal. President Biden will make the case that we do need ongoing resources for Ukraine beyond the end of his term," Sullivan said.

Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars worth of US military and economic aid to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February of 2022, funding that Trump has repeatedly criticized and rallied against with other Republican lawmakers.

Trump insisted last year that Russian President Vladimir Putin never would have invaded Ukraine if he had been in the White House at the time. He told Reuters Ukraine may have to cede territory to reach a peace agreement, something the Ukrainians reject and Biden has never suggested.