Anti-terrorism police investigating knife attack in Paris
French police officers patrol the area after a knife attack near the former offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France, Sept. 25, 2020.
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In Paris, near the former office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, at least two people were stabbed Friday, with one suffering serious injuries. French police have said two suspects were arrested, one near the Bastille opera house. Law enforcement sources reported a weapon resembling a machete or meat cleaver was found.
City authorities advised the public to avoid the area, saying that a police operation was underway in northeastern Paris. Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said on Twitter that a “potentially dangerous” individual was still on the loose. Metro stations in the 11th arrondissement were also closed, and anti-terrorism police were taking over the investigation.
The trial for 14 suspects accused of being accomplices in the 2015 terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo, where 12 people were killed, began Sept. 2. The court heard witnesses explain how the suspects had wanted to avenge the Prophet Muhammad about a decade after the publication ran satirical cartoons that critics argue mocked him.
What The World is following
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has apologized for the killing of a South Korean government worker who was shot and burned after crossing into the North just off the shore. A letter sent by Pyongyang to Seoul said that the chairman “feels very sorry that instead of giving aid to our compatriots in the South who is struggling [sic] with COVID epidemic, we have given President Moon and our compatriots in the South a great disappointment with this unseen misfortune in our sea.”
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a cyber truce between Moscow and Washington, suggesting that an agreement could prevent election meddling. In a statement, Putin proposed “exchanging guarantees of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, including electoral processes, including using information and communication technologies and high-tech methods.” But only two weeks ago, Microsoft said it found evidence of hackers targeting the campaigns of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
And, officials in Rio de Janeiro have “postponed” the annual Carnival parade, saying that the festival will not take place in February 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as financial and organizational issues. Rio’s elite samba schools usually practice most of the year for the event. Carnival was last suspended in 1912.
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