A man in his twenties, suspected of attacking a stabbed woman on Saturday, shouting "Allah Akbar" in a police station in Saint-Denis, Reunion Island, without being injured, was arrested and placed in custody. An investigation was opened for "voluntary violence and apology of terrorism," told AFP the prosecutor of Saint-Denis, Éric Tuffery. The suspect rang at 14H (11H in Paris) at the gate giving access to the police station and was opened the door by a police officer on duty. The individual then entered the building and immediately jumped on a young woman who was in the hall and who, according to the first elements of the investigation, has no connection with her attacker.
The attacker placed a knife under his throat. The police then set him on fire and summoned him several times to drop his gun. The individual eventually obeyed and was controlled by the officials. According to the prosecutor, he shouted "Allah Akbar" when he was thrown to the ground.
The motivations of the aggressor not yet known
Originally from Mayotte, the young man lived in Reunion for several years. He was known to the police, according to a source familiar with the case, who did not provide more details. The motivations of the aggressor are not yet known at this stage.
This is the first time an assault of this type has occurred inside a La Reunion police station.
In 2017 in Saint-Benoît (east of Reunion), a man suspected of Islamist radicalization shot at the police officers who came to call him at his home. Two police officers were injured. In 2015, a jihadist sector, the first overseas, was dismantled in Reunion. It was headed by a 21-year-old Salafist preacher, who had urged several young people from Reunion to start jihad in Syria. This aggression came a few days after President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Reunion and Mayotte.