2 Stabbed To Death At Marseille Train Station

2 stabbed to death at Marseille train station

 A suspected Islamist knifeman killed two women at the main train station in the French Mediterranean city of Marseille on Sunday before being shot dead by soldiers patrolling there, local officials and police said.

One of the victims was fatally stabbed while the other had her throat slit by the assailant who is believed to have shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest) at the start of his rampage, a source close to the investigation told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Soldiers posted in the station as part of a special force set up to guard vulnerable areas in terror-hit France responded to the stabbings in front of the station and shot the man dead, local officials said.

Armed police were deployed afterwards and the grand and ornate rail terminus in the bustling heart of France’s second-biggest city was evacuated, stopping all train traffic on one of the country’s busiest lines.

“Two victims have been stabbed to death,” regional police chief Olivier de Mazieres told AFP, referring to the attack which occurred at 1:45 pm (1145 GMT).

The latest deaths came with France still on high alert and in a state of emergency following a string of attacks in recent years by extremists linked to the Islamic State group or Al-Qaeda.

Since 2015, a total of 239 people have been killed in France by jihadists, according to an AFP count before Sunday’s incident.

Two women killed at Marseille train station in suspected terror attack

Two women were stabbed to death Sunday in a suspected terrorist attack at the Marseille train station in southern France.

The assailant was shot dead by French security forces, Fox News reported.

Police sources told Sky News the attacker shouted "Allahu Akkbar” as he carried out the attack at Gare St. Charles.

#MarseilleGareSaint-Charles @PoliceNat13 . situation figée , auteur neutralisé et abattu.Trafic SNCF interrompu.

— Police nationale 13 (@PoliceNat13) October 1, 2017

One woman had her throat slit and the other was stabbed to death, Fox News has learned.

The attacker was believed to be a man in his late twenties and of North African background.

The area around Marseille's central station was sealed off following the attack.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb tweeted that he was going immediately to the scene "after the attack perpetrated near Saint Charles train station."

The station was evacuated, according to reports.

The station is where four American college students were hospitalized in September after a woman with a history of mental problems attacked them with acid.