Man Kills Mother, Sister Near Paris; ISIS Claims Responsibility
Attacker in Trappes suffered from serious mental health issues
A man with severe psychiatric problems killed his mother and sister and seriously injured another woman in a knife attack Thursday in a suburb of Paris.
Police shot and killed the man soon afterward. Islamic State, which has a history of opportunistic claims, swiftly claimed responsibility.
However, French prosecutors are not treating the attack as a terrorism case, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said. He noted the attacker suffered from serious mental health issues although he had also been flagged for glorifying terrorism.
Collomb said the man killed his mother at home and stabbed the others outside.
The Islamic State group, via its Aamaq news agency, claimed responsibility. The agency said the attack in Trappes was motivated by calls from the IS leadership to attack civilians in countries at war with the extremist group. Hours earlier, IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi urged followers to attack enemies everywhere.
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Trappes is an underprivileged town situated in an overall wealthy area west of Paris. Dozens of radicalized youths from the town of about 30,000 habitants have left for Syria.