- A man armed with two knives and a baton was shot dead by police in Marseille after stabbing five people in a hotel and nearby street.
- The attacker, a Tunisian national legally residing in France, had been evicted from the hotel for unpaid rent.
- He returned to assault a guest, the hotel manager, and his son before continuing his rampage at a nearby snack bar.
- One victim is in critical condition. Police used tasers and firearms to neutralize the suspect. Officials have praised the swift response and vowed support for the victims.
Marseille was rocked by violence on Tuesday afternoon when a man went on a stabbing spree that left five people wounded — one critically — before being shot dead by police.
The attacker, identified as a Tunisian national with legal residency in France, had been evicted from a hotel in the city’s Belsunce district over unpaid rent. But he returned armed with two knives and a baton, launching a brutal assault that began in his former room and spilled into the streets.
He first stabbed the guest occupying his old room, then turned on the hotel manager and his son, chasing the latter down the street and stabbing him in the back. Witnesses say the man then entered a nearby kebab shop, attempting to attack customers at random.
Police arrived quickly and ordered him to drop his weapons. When he refused, officers deployed a taser and then opened fire, killing him near the snack bar on Cours Belsunce — just minutes from Marseille’s Old Port.
Prosecutor Nicolas Bessone confirmed that one of the hotel victims is in critical condition, while two others are seriously injured. The motive remains unclear, but the suspect was known to police.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau visited the scene later that evening, and Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan expressed support for the victims and praised law enforcement for their rapid response.
The area has since been cordoned off, with forensic teams on site. As investigations continue, the city is left grappling with the shock of a violent afternoon that turned a busy district into a crime scene.
