A 34-year-old Sudanese national with a criminal record and psychiatric treatment attacked passersby with a knife in central France before being neutralized by law enforcement.
The incident took place in the early afternoon of July 5, 2026 on the Boulevard “Jean-Baptiste Dumas“ in the city of Clermont-Ferrand. The attacker was shot by police after attacking a law enforcement officer who was trying to detain him. As of 2:30 a.m. on July 6, 2026, authorities had ruled out a terrorist motive, and the injured were in stable condition.
Timeline of the attack
- Danger alert: Around 2:30 p.m. local time, witnesses reported a man with a large knife attacking random passersby on the street.
- Police intervention: The team arriving on the scene found the perpetrator, who immediately attacked one of the police officers, attempting to wound him in the neck.
- Neutralization: A second patrol officer used his service firearm, shooting and stunning the attacker.
Perpetrator Profile
The Clermont-Ferrand Chief Prosecutor, Eric Serfas, confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that the detainee is a 34-year-old Sudanese citizen. The man is well-known to local justice, having already been convicted of acts of intolerance, rebellion, violence against police officers and making death threats. Police sources also revealed that the person had previously undergone specialized psychiatric treatment.
Condition of the victims and investigation
A total of three people were injured in the attack. According to the official report of the prosecutor's office, published in the regional edition Midi Libre, the lives of neither the victims nor the wounded attacker are in immediate danger. The area of the incident has been cordoned off for procedural and investigative actions. Investigators currently state categorically that no evidence or indications have been collected that point to radicalization or terrorist motives.
Source: Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) based on information from the French news agency AFP.