(AFP) The man who stabbed a tourist to death near the Eiffel Tower in Paris swore allegiance to the Islamic State group in a video posted to social media, French anti-terrorist prosecutors said Sunday.
Known to the authorities as a radicalised Islamist who had social media connections to perpetrators of other recent attacks in France, he had also been subject to close psychological surveillance for mental health issues, senior prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard told reporters.
He added that the man’s mother had reported concerns about him as recently as October, but there was insufficient proof at the time to take legal action.
The attack late Saturday came as France is at its highest alert level against the background of the war between Israel and Hamas and following a series of apparent lone-wolf attacks in the country.
