France: Attacker stabs 3 at Gare de Lyon in Paris

Police in Paris said three people were injured on Saturday in a stabbing attack at the city's Gare de Lyon railway station.

The attacker was arrested shortly afterward, although his motive was not immediately apparent.

What we know about the attack

The assailant began the stabbing spree at about 8 a.m. local time (0700 GMT/UTC) at the station, which is a hub for domestic trains as well as journeys to Switzerland and Italy.

The apparent attacker was a Malian national, believed to be homeless and suffering from mental problems. The victims were stabbed in a waiting room inside the station's underground level. Two of the victims suffered light wounds. The third was reported to be more seriously injured, but police said they were not in a life-threatening condition.

"The suspect did not cry out [any religious slogans] during his attack," a police source said. "He presented the police an Italian driving licence."

Separately, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said the attack did not appear to be terror-related.

Rail operator SNCF said part of the train station would be temporarily inaccessible.

Heightened security ahead of Olympics

France raised its terrorism alert level in October to the highest level after a young Islamist stabbed a teacher to death in northern France, but the alert level was then lowered in mid-January.

At the same time, security is being beefed up in Paris as the city prepares to host its first Olympic Games in a century. 

The Games pose a huge security challenge for the city, which has been repeatedly hit by terror attacks, most notably the attacks in November 2015 which killed 130 people and left hundreds more wounded.

In December, a man with a knife targeted passersby near the Eiffel Tower, killing a German tourist and injuring two others.

rc/dj (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)