Man Approached Two French Police Officers and Shouted “Allahu Akbar,” but What He Did Moments Later Nearly Ended in Tragedy

A police officer needed stitches after a man armed with knives attacked two officers in Toulouse, France.

The incident happened on Monday while the officers were patrolling Rue d’Austerlitz in the city’s Wilson district. According to local reports, a man tried to attract their attention before suddenly pulling out a knife and attacking them.

The officers used telescopic batons as they struggled to bring him under control. After dropping the first knife, the man allegedly pulled out two more knives before he was finally restrained.

Both officers were injured during the struggle. One officer suffered a cut to the neck and needed stitches. A female officer was stabbed three times, but her bulletproof vest protected her from more serious injuries.

Local police said the alleged attacker shouted “Allahu akbar” during the incident.

Toulouse politician Emilion Esnault said the officers had come extremely close to something much worse. A large number of police officers remained in the area following the attack.

The incident comes as an Australian woman has described how she feared she was about to be trafficked while visiting Paris.

Djanaya Hampton, from Perth, travelled to the French capital in May last year for a two-week holiday to celebrate her 29th birthday. She had originally planned to travel to Africa, but changed her destination after discovering that her chosen accommodation was being renovated.

During the first few days of her trip, she visited several tourist attractions, including Disneyland Paris. On the evening before her birthday, she went to the Eiffel Tower for a picnic and waited for the famous lights to come on.

Ms Hampton said she had been sitting there for a long time because she did not realise how late the sun would set. At around 8pm, two young men sat beside her. She noticed that one of them kept looking at her and smiling.

The man, who was wearing designer clothes, first spoke to her in French before changing to English. He began asking her several personal questions, including whether she was alone, who she was travelling with and whether she had a boyfriend.

Ms Hampton said the situation felt strange and reminded her of the film “Taken,” but she initially wondered whether she was simply overthinking it.

The man repeatedly invited her to a house party, but she refused. She said he then grabbed her for a photograph she did not want while his friend took several pictures on a phone.

She became even more frightened when the man walked towards the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, gave money to a local vendor and pointed directly at her.

Ms Hampton said her heart sank and she suddenly began feeling extremely cold. She contacted her best friend in Perth through FaceTime and explained what was happening.

While travelling away from the area, her friend advised her to get off at the next stop. Ms Hampton left at Notre Dame, but said the group followed her and stood at different points around the platform.

Feeling trapped and crying, she was eventually approached by a Spanish-speaking man whom she had previously asked for help. Her friend spoke with him over the phone, and they discovered that he was a security guard.

Ms Hampton said the guard told her to remain close to him because he feared the group might try to grab her.