Perpetrator is on the run Attacker wounds three women with a knife in the Paris metro

A man injures three women with a knife at several central stations and terrifies passengers. The attack took place during a period of high security alert just before the New Year's Eve celebrations.

An attacker injured three women with a knife in the Paris Métro. The attacks occurred on Friday afternoon at three Métro stations in the center of the city, according to the transport company RATP. The perpetrator was initially able to flee, but was caught in the early evening, according to the public prosecutor's office.

According to the investigating authorities, the perpetrator struck at the République, Arts et Métiers and Opéra stations, which are all on the Métro line 3. The suspect, who was already known to the police, was identified from CCTV footage and arrested north of Paris thanks to the location of his cell phone.

According to the Paris police prefect, the women were slightly injured and treated by emergency services. The perpetrator attacked "for no apparent reason", according to the French Ministry of the Interior. According to the reports, the man is 25 years old.

Last week, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez had called on the security authorities to exercise "maximum caution" in the run-up to the New Year's Eve celebrations. Due to the "very high terrorist threat" and a "risk of disruption to public order", security measures should be tightened throughout the country. A "visible and deterrent presence" of security forces is necessary. Nunez called for particular caution on public transport.