MARSEILLE, France: A man armed with a knife killed two people at the main train station in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille on Sunday before being shot by soldiers patrolling there, local officials said.
“Two victims have been stabbed to death,” regional police chief Olivier de Mazieres told AFP, referring to the attack which occurred at 1:45 p.m. (1145 GMT).
Local prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux said the knifeman had been shot by soldiers, while the Marseille police urged people in the city to avoid the area around Saint-Charles station.
The deaths came with France still on high alert following a string of terror attacks which began in January 2015 when jihadist gunmen stormed the offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, killing 12.
The government has since launched Operation Sentinelle, deploying about 7,000 troops across the country to guard high-risk areas such as transport hubs, tourist sites and religious buildings.
The knifeman is believed to have shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest) before assaulting passers-by, a source close to the investigation told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The attacks since 2015 have left 239 people dead, according to an AFP count before Sunday’s incident.
French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb posted on Twitter that he would travel to Marseille immediately.
Two dead in Marseille train station knife attack: police
Two dead in Marseille train station knife attack: police
Venezuela looks to rebuild diplomatic ties with US
- The State Department said US officials were assessing a “potential phased resumption” of embassy operations
- Washington and Caracas have signaled they are seeking cooperation
CARACAS: Venezuela’s government has begun exploring the potential to expand diplomatic ties with the United States, with US State Department officials traveling to Caracas for technical and logistical assessments, it said in a statement on Friday.
The State Department separately said the US officials were assessing a “potential phased resumption” of embassy operations in the South American country.
Washington and Caracas have signaled they are seeking cooperation since last week’s dramatic US military operation that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. His vice president Delcy Rodriguez took over as interim leader.
“The government of Venezuela has decided to initiate an exploratory diplomatic process with the US government, with a view to reestablishing the diplomatic missions in both countries,” the Venezuelan government said in a statement.
A Venezuelan delegation will also be sent to the US to carry out assessments, it said.
Earlier on Friday, US President Donald Trump said the release of political prisoners in Venezuela was a sign of “seeking peace” and that he had canceled a planned second wave of attacks.
