One Dead, Two Police Officers Injured in France's Mulhouse Knife Attack; Macron Calls it 'Terror Act'

Mulhouse: One person has died and two police officers have been seriously injured in a knife attack in the French city of Mulhouse during a demonstration on Saturday, according to Nicolas Heitz, local prosecutor.

The knife attack took place at a demonstration in support of the Congo, where the police officers were on patrol.

Emmanuel Macron, President of France said, "no doubt it is an Islamist terror act."

Algerian Suspect Arrested in Knife Attack, Terror Inquiry Launched

The 37-year-old Algerian suspect, who was arrested at the scene and on a terrorism watch list, reportedly shouted religious slogan, pushing the local prosecutor to open a terrorist inquiry.

The FSPRT list, created in 2015 after the deadly Charlie Hebdo and Jewish supermarket attacks, collects data from various authorities to prevent "terrorist" radicalization.

Also Read: Who is Hadi Matar, Man Convicted for Attacking Author Salman Rushdie? 

One police officer suffered a carotid artery injury, while the other was wounded in the thorax, Heitz said.

Interior Minister to Visit Mulhouse Attack Site

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau is expected to travel to the crime scene of the attack later in the evening.

Police set up a security perimeter after the attack, which occurred just before 4:00 pm (1500 GMT) during a demonstration for Congo.

According to report, the suspect born in Algeria, has been under judicial supervision and house arrest, and under an expulsion order from France.

"Horror has seized our city," said Mulhouse mayor Michele Lutz on Facebook. She confirmed that the incident was being investigated as a potential terror attack, but emphasized that this had yet to be confirmed by the judiciary.

France's national anti-terror prosecutors unit (PNAT) has taken charge of the investigation into the incident.