By Olivia Kingree
ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack in which one man fatally stabbed two women outside of Saint Charles train station in Marseille, France, on October 1. French soldiers on guard at the station shot and killed the attacker, who has since been identified as a Tunisian man who lived in Italy.
According to BBC news, witnesses of the attack said that the suspect shouted “Allahu akbar!”, which means “God is great” in Arabic. On the Amaq news outlet, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, though there is currently no evidence proving a connection between the suspect and terrorist groups.
ABC News said that the attacker was identified by his fingerprints and had been arrested for shoplifting and subsequently released only two days before the attack. Authorities further discovered seven false identities which the suspect used in previous police encounters. According to CNN, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said that the last identity listed was Ahmed H., a Tunisian national.
The victims were 20-year-old medical student, Mauranne, and her 17-year-old cousin, Laura, both from Eguilles. According to ABC News, on Monday evening their small hometown held a memorial gathering where villagers signed a book of condolences.
This attack is one of many that have recently occurred in France. On July 14, 2016, 86 people were killed and 434 injured when a cargo truck drove into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice. In November 2015, 130 people were killed and 368 injured in multiple shooting and grenade attacks at different locations in Paris, including the Bataclan theater, in which 89 people were killed.
After learning of the attack, Drew University student Jordan Aussicker (‘20) said that it was “terrifying” and “an apparent effort to sway the beliefs of the public to fear ISIS and it’s members, and to believe that danger is literally at their doorstep”.
In honor of the victims of both the Marseilles attack and the recent shooting in Las Vegas, the Eiffel Tower went dark overnight on Monday, October 2.
Article was updated 10/6
Image courtesy of UPI
