Two people were killed and one “badly injured” in a knife attack Thursday morning in Trappes, a suburb west of Paris, according to France’s National Police.
The attacker was also killed, police said.
“After the attack, he ran into a house to hide. He left shortly afterward and threatened police before being neutralized,” police said.
Authorities have not yet given an indication of motive for the attack. The matter may have been a family dispute, CNN’s French affiliate BFM-TV reported.
The two people who were killed were the attacker’s mother and sister, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry told CNN.
The French Interior Ministry urged the public via Twitter to “avoid the area and respect the security perimeters so as not to disrupt the police work.”
Interior Minister Gérard Collomb tweeted: “The individual has been neutralized. My first thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. I want to salute the actions and the exemplary mobilization of our police forces. They are already investigating to establish the circumstances of this tragedy.”
Collomb later tweeted that he had arrived at the police station in Trappes, less than 20 miles from Paris, to be briefed on the situation.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq media outlet but did not provide any evidence to support the claim.
The anti-terror Paris prosecution office has not yet opened an investigation into the attack, as is customary if there is a strong indication of a link to terrorism.
On Thursday, ISIS released what it said was a new audio message from its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in which he purportedly issued a rallying call to supporters in the face of continued military defeats.
According to BFM-TV, Trappes is a poor town in the middle of a wealthy area. Half of its roughly 30,000 inhabitants are aged under 25, the broadcaster said, and the unemployment rate is close to 20 percent.
This is an ongoing story. Stay with News 3 for updates.
