Soldier stabbed in central Paris just days before start of Olympic Games

A French soldier was stabbed outside a major train station in Paris, just days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics.

Paris is on high security alert following the attack, which has seen the soldier hospitalised and his assailant arrested.

A French military official said the soldier is not in a life-threatening condition, and that the reason for the attack is currently being investigated.

Authorities don’t suspect terrorism as a motive at this stage, according to the national counterterrorism prosecutor’s office.

The soldier was among thousands of troops serving in the Sentinelle force for France’s domestic security.

Interior minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted that the soldier had been patrolling at the Gare de l’Est train station in eastern Paris, and that the attacker had been detained.

Paris is deploying about 30,000 police officers each day for the Olympics, which run from July 26 to August 11, with a peak of 45,000 for the opening ceremony on the Seine river.

About 18,000 members of the military are also helping ensure security.

Soldiers in the Sentinelle force have been targeted in the past.

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