The first photo of the man suspected of killing one and injuring a British tourist during an attack on a street in central Paris has been released.
An assailant targeted ‘passers-by’ in the Quai de Grenelle area of France’s capital, according to interior minister Gérald Darmanin.
Newly released photos show the suspect in question: a 26-year-old French national named Armand R, who was already known to security services, the BBC reported.
Armand is the son of two Iranian refugees, and converted to Islam in 2015 after being radicalised online by an ISIS supporter, according to previous prosecution documents.
Mr Darmanin said the alleged attacker was heard shouting ‘Allahu Akbar and told cops he was upset because ‘so many Muslims are dying in Afghanistan and in Palestine’.
Armand had already served four years in prison after planning another terror attack in 2016, and remained on the security watchlist.
In a two minute clip of his arrest, Armand told the police he killed a German and left two more injured because he ‘couldn’t stand watching Arabs being killed’.
A knife and hammer were used in the attack, according to local media reports.
‘The assailant was neutralised very quickly by police,’ Dr Patrick Pelloux told BFM TV.
‘We tried to save the life of this man. It’s a man who died and they (the people who were attacked) were tourists.’
Armand was also known to have suffered psychiatric disorders, Mr Darmanin revealed.
The British victim was targeted while walking through the area with his family on Saturday night, reports said.
The UK Foreign Office said in a statement: ‘We are supporting a British man who was injured in Paris and are in contact with the local authorities.’
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