Terrorist attack in Mulhouse: what we know about the events and the suspect

On Saturday, February 22, 2025, a knife attack shook the city of Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin). A 37-year-old man, flagged for terrorism prevention, killed a passerby and injured several municipal police officers before being arrested. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat) has taken over the investigation, while Emmanuel Macron described the incident as an “Islamist terrorist act.”

An attack in broad daylight

The attack occurred shortly before 4 p.m., near the Canal Covered Market in the city center. Armed with a knife and a screwdriver, the assailant attacked several municipal police officers while shouting “Allah Akbar.” A passerby, a 69-year-old Portuguese national, intervened and was killed. Three police officers were injured, one of them seriously.

Despite the severity of the attack, the police chose not to use their firearms due to the presence of many bystanders, opting instead to subdue the attacker with a baton.

A suspect known to anti-terrorism services

The assailant, an Algerian national, was listed in the FSPRT (a database for monitoring individuals flagged for radicalization). He had been convicted in 2023 for advocating terrorism after making statements about the October 7 attack by Hamas in Israel. Experts later diagnosed him with psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia.

He arrived illegally in France in 2014 and was subject to an order to leave French territory (OQTF). However, Algeria refused his repatriation ten times, according to Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. After serving a short prison sentence and spending three months in a detention center, he was placed under house arrest in Mulhouse. On the day of the attack, he went to the police station but refused to sign in as required.

Political reactions and ongoing investigation

President Emmanuel Macron expressed “the nation’s solidarity” with the victims’ families, stating that France “will not give in to terrorism.” Prime Minister François Bayrou declared that “fanaticism has struck again,” leaving the country in mourning.

The Pnat has launched an investigation for “murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise” and “attempted murders of public officials in connection with a terrorist enterprise.” The investigation has been assigned to the Anti-Terrorism Sub-Directorate (SDAT), the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), and the judicial police.

This tragic event echoes the deadly attack near the Eiffel Tower in December 2023 and reignites the debate on managing radicalized individuals in irregular situations.