Cannes: Knifeman shot after attacking three police officers

Attacker seriously injured after stabbing policeman in car outside police station

A knifeman has been shot after attacking three police officers outside a police station in Cannes, southern France (Eric Ciotti/Twitter/Via Reuters)

A knifeman has been shot after stabbing a police officer in southern France.

The attacker reportedly opened the door of a police car stationed in front of the main Police Commissariat in the town of Cannes before knifing the officer in the driver’s seat on Monday morning.

He then tried to attack a second policeman in the car but a third officer fired his weapon, seriously injuring the unidentified assailant.

Confirming the incident, French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said the attacker had been “neutralised”. He later added that the policemen escaped injury thanks to his bulletproof vest.

He wrote on Twitter: “A police officer from the Cannes police station was stabbed with a knife. The assailant was neutralised by his colleagues.

“I am going there immediately this morning and I give all my support to the national police and to the city of Cannes.”

Member of French parliament Eric Ciotti visits the scene of the stabbing in Cannes (Eric Ciotti/Twitter/Via Reuters)

David Lisnard, mayor of Cannes, added: “A man attacked police officers with knives near the Cannes central police station. One of the officers responded with his firearm.

“There are no deaths and the circumstances of the attack are being clarified. Full support for our law enforcement agencies.”

The suspected attacker is thought to be of Algerian nationality, according to BFM TV and Le Figaro.

BFM TV added he was unknown to French authorities, while Le Figaro said he had an Italian residency permit.

The attack in Cannes comes just one week after a knifeman was shot at a railway station in Paris after threatening security officers.

BFM TV and CNews televisions said the man was severely injured following the incident at Saint-Lazare - one of the French capital’s busiest stations - last Monday.

The incident last week is said to have begun after the man was stopped by four security officers for not wearing a mask, according to Le Parisien.

He reportedly refused to comply and instead charged towards them armed with a knife and was shot in the chest, according to the newspaper.

Additional reporting by Reuters