A man who stabbed a policeman was fatally shot by another officer near in the heart of Paris yesterday
evening, just days before the opening of the Summer Olympics in the city.
Security guards at the flagship Louis Vuitton store on the Champs Elysees, the iconic boulevard that
draws an endless stream of tourists, called police after noticing the assailant behaving suspiciously
outside.
The assailant pulled out a knife as officers confronted him and lunged at them with it several times. One
officer was critically wounded.
The assailant was shot by another officer and later died.
The area was packed with tourists when the incident occurred and afterward guests at a luxury hotel in
the immediate vicinity were seen ducking under crime-scene tape to enter the building.
Senior officials said the incident did not appear terrorism-related.
But the stabbing underscored terrorism risks during the Olympics, which open on 26 July and run through
11 August.
The overwhelming concern of French security services is possible attacks during the Olympics by
operatives or supporters of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or al-Qaida.
President Emmanuel Macron has said the massive boat procession of athletes on the Seine River in the
center of the capital during the opening ceremony could be shifted to a smaller event in an enclosed
venue if a credible terrorism threat emerges.
With security tight at sporting venues and transportation hubs during the Games, both sophisticated and
primitive Islamic terrorists could opt to target crowds on the street or in relatively unprotected enclosed
places such as cafes, restaurants and stores.
France has suffered many attacks by singleton jihadists using weapons at hand, such as knives and
vehicles. Such attacks are particularly difficult to prevent.
Personnel may conduct routine business in France, including Paris before and during the Olympics. But
they should avoid crowded public venues and sporting and entertainment events at which access control
procedures are observed to be lax. Senior executives should be escorted by seasoned local security
professionals.
Personnel should minimize their exposure to traditional Islamic terrorist targets, including subways,
commuter trains, famous cathedrals, museums, landmarks that attract large numbers of tourists, hotels,
government buildings, Jewish sites and Western embassies. They should pass as quickly as possible
from public lobbies to secure areas of airports. Generally, personnel should opt for boutique—as opposed
to landmark—hotels. Boutique hotels are plentiful in Paris. Multinationals, especially those located near
transportation hubs and famous places, should review and, if necessary, upgrade bomb defenses.
