Paris police HQ attacker was recent convert to Islam – media

A knife-wielding attacker, who killed four French officers inside police headquarters in Paris before being shot dead, had converted to Islam around 18 months, BFM TV reports.

The information is yet to be officially confirmed. 

The suspect in Thursday’s attack was a staffer, who worked at the headquarters for around 20 years and, according to his colleagues, never caused any problems. He brought a ceramic knife to the historic building at Ile de la Cite, in the heart of Paris, and attacked four colleagues (three male, one female).

The perpetrator was killed by another officer, who shot him with an automatic rifle. So far, there has been no official comment regarding the attacker’s motives, but there were reportedly “tensions” between him and his direct supervisor.