France: You'll Never Guess What Happened Today

If you guessed some guy named Mehdi ran into a supermarket yelling, "Allahu Akhbar" while attacking people with a knife, you would be....

RIGHT!

Because that is what happened in the French town of Apt today. The below article in La Provence is translated by Fousesquawk. (Note: This article has been updated by La Provence since translation, so there will be slight discrepancies.)

Apt (Provence), France

An individual armed with a knife attacks a customer at Intermarché in Apt while shouting, "Allahu Akhbar"

By R.C. with LP and P.G.

Posted January 25 2025 at 11:31-Updated January 25, 2025 at 11:42

Caption: A large deployment of Gendarmes was on the scene to secure the zone and preclude any other threats.

-La Provence/L.P.

Around 5:30 pm, an assailant armed with a knife attacked a security guard and a customer of  Intermarché in Apt. The victims were injured but their lives are not in danger. The public prosecutor is at the scene, the entire perimeter is blocked off.

On Saturday, January 25, 2025, around 17:30, an individual broke into the  Intermarché supermarket in Apt. Armed with a knife, he reached the cashier area where he rushed at a customer shouting, "Allahu Akhbar", according to witnesses.

"When I heard the cry, I thought he was punching," declared the security guard who rapidly intervened to neutralize him.

According to our information, the victim was struck at the eye and ear level, but his life is not in danger. During the action, the knife that the attacker was carrying broke, avoiding much more severe injuries. The security guard suffered contusions, (and) he was also treated by rescue services.

Deployment in place to preclude any further threat

Law enforcement quickly took over the premises under the eyes of customers still shocked by this attack clearly committed by a radicalized individual.

The federal prosecutor of Avignon is at the scene, the Gendarmes, sent in very large numbers from all the surrounding brigades, have blocked off the perimeter, and a large deployment is being maintained while all necessary investigations have begun to preclude any other threat.

A resident of Apt already known to (police)

Arrested and placed into custody, the attacker, first name, Mehdi, was reportedly already known to the judicial system. According to our information, this resident of Apt, approximately 30 years old, had made himself known a few years ago for having created a false explosive vest in modelers' clay. On December 2, 2016, the subject was found on a public garden wall near a college. This discovery, in the context of an elevated terrorist threat, caused the staggering deployment of resources and paralyzed a complete section of the city.

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