2013 La Défense attack
2013 La Défense attack | |
---|---|
Location | La Défense, France |
Date | 25 May 2013 6 pm CEST (UTC+02:00) |
Target | A French soldier |
Attack type | Stabbing |
Weapons | Knife |
Deaths | 0 |
Injured | 1 (Cédric Cordier) |
Victim | Cédric Cordier |
Participant | 1 |
On the afternoon of 25 May 2013, French soldier Cédric Cordier was attacked and stabbed in the Paris suburb of La Défense by a man who was later ruled by a court not to be criminally responsible for psychiatric reasons.
Background
In March 2012,
The attack occurred three days after of the murder of a British soldier in Woolwich, London, though President Hollande said there was no evidence to link the two attacks,[2] despite this there was speculation as to whether it was a copycat attack.[3][4][5][6]
Attack
In late afternoon, Saturday 25 May 2013, private first class Cédric Cordier was patrolling a busy underground hall in La Défense in uniform with two other servicemen. Around 6 p.m., a man approached Cordier from behind and attacked him with a knife. The attacker stabbed Cordier in the neck and fled into a crowded shopping area before the other servicemen could react.[2][7][8][9] The attacker stabbed the soldier several times, narrowly missing Cordier's jugular vein and carotid artery.[10][11]
Victim
The soldier attacked was 23-year-old private first class Cédric Cordier. He was stabbed in the neck and had lost a considerable amount of blood; however, his injuries were not life-threatening. He was in a stable condition and was treated at a nearby military hospital.[2] He was released by 29 May.[12]
Some sources described Cordier as 25 years old; others identified him as Cédric Cordiez.
Suspect
The suspected attacker was then-21-year-old Alexandre Dhaussy, a recent Christian convert to Islam.[11] He turned 22 on 30 May. Dhaussy, unemployed and homeless, was already known to police since 2009 for petty crimes.[12] He was known as becoming more radicalized in February,[citation needed] but had not been considered dangerous. Prosecutor François Molins said that Dhaussy's attack was believed to be motivated by his Islamic belief.[13][14][15][16][17] In 2012, the police stopped him when he acted suspiciously as he did not want to wait for a bus with women; in 2011, he refused a job that involved working with women.[18][19]
Investigation
French
On Wednesday 29 May, Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls stated that a man—later identified as Alexandre Dhaussy—was arrested in the morning in Yvelines. The suspect was traced from DNA found on a plastic bag left at the scene and was identified by fingerprint.[22][23] He admitted the attack to the police who arrested him. Prosecutor François Molins said that Dhaussy "wanted to attack a representative of the state" and "acted in the name of his religious ideology", considering the character and timing of the attack.[14][15][16][17] Molins also stated that Dhaussy stabbed Cordier with a "fairly clear intent to kill".[12][24]
Legal proceedings
On Friday 31 May 2013, Dhaussy appeared before anti-terrorism judges Thierry Fragnoli and Gilbert Thiel, who determined there was enough evidence to proceed with an investigation. He was placed under formal investigation for "attempted murder linked to a terrorist enterprise".[13][18] In November 2015, the court declared him not criminally responsible for psychiatric reasons.[25]
Reactions
See also
- 2015 Nice attack(attack on soldiers guarding a Jewish community center in France)
References
- ^ a b c "Knife attack on soldier in Paris treated as terrorism". BBC News. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "French soldier in uniform stabbed in Paris". BBC News. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Burns, John F. (25 May 2013). "Call for Calm After 3 New Arrests in British Soldier's Death". The New York Times. London, UK. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Allen, Peter (26 May 2013). "Woolwich copycat attack: French police study CCTV footage in manhunt for soldier's attacker". The Daily Telegraph. Paris. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Allen, Peter (26 May 2013). "Manhunt continues for suspected terrorist in Paris soldier stabbing". The Daily Telegraph. Paris. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Pantucci, Raffaello (23 July 2016). "What does a modern terrorist look like and what motivates them?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ Bertin, Nicolas (25 May 2013). "French soldier stabbed while on patrol near Paris". Paris. Reuters. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Chrisafis, Angelique (26 May 2013). "French police hunt man who stabbed soldier in Paris". The Guardian. Paris. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Willsher, Kim (27 May 2013). "French anti-terrorism police hunt man who stabbed soldier". The Guardian. Paris. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ a b Vinocur, Nicholas (26 May 2013). "French soldier's stabbing could be act of terrorism: minister". Paris. Reuters. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ a b Samuel, Henry (29 May 2013). "Police: 'radical' Muslim confesses to stabbing French soldier". The Daily Telegraph. Paris. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Suspect 'admits soldier knife attack in Paris'". BBC News. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ a b "French soldier stabbing: Man on terrorism-linked charges". BBC News. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ a b c Erlanger, Steven (29 May 2013). "Man Held in France in Attack on Soldier". The New York Times. Paris. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ a b Love, Brian; John, Mark (29 May 2013). "French stabbing 'religiously motivated': prosecutor". Paris. Reuters. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ a b Sage, Alexandria (29 May 2013). "Attack on French soldier had Islamist motivation: prosecutor". Paris. Reuters. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ a b Sage, Alexandria (29 May 2013). "Attack on French soldier had religious motivation: prosecutor". Paris. Reuters. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ a b Sage, Alexandria; Labbe, Chine (31 May 2013). Heinrich, Mark (ed.). "Suspected attacker of French soldier under terror investigation". Paris. Reuters. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Samuel, Henry (29 May 2013). "Radical Muslim who stabbed French soldier was known to intelligence". The Daily Telegraph. Paris. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Alexander, Harriet; Allen, Peter (25 May 2013). "French soldier stabbed in Paris". The Daily Telegraph. Paris. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Samuel, Henry (27 May 2013). "Paris police search for 'bearded man seen praying' before soldier attack". The Daily Telegraph. Paris. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Sage, Alexandria (29 May 2013). Stonestreet, John; John, Mark (eds.). "Suspect arrested in attack on French soldier". Paris. Reuters. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Samuel, Henry (29 May 2013). "Police arrest 'radical' Muslim over French soldier's stabbing". The Daily Telegraph. Paris. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Willsher, Kim (29 May 2013). "Man arrested over attack on French soldier". The Guardian. Paris. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ "Militaire poignardé à la Défense: son agresseur déclaré irresponsable". BFMTV (in French). 5 November 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2019.