Updated at 3:55 p.m. ET
Seven people were injured when a man wielding a knife and iron bar attacked people on a street in Paris late Sunday, according to news reports citing local police.
The attack reportedly occurred around 11 p.m. local time on the Quai de Loire, along the Ourcq canal, in the northeastern part of the city. The man charged pedestrians walking along the street. Two of the victims were said to be British tourists who had stab wounds in the chest and stomach.
Eyewitness Youssef Najah told the BBC he was walking beside the canal when he saw a man running and holding a knife about 10 to 11 inches long.
He said a group of people playing pétanque — a French bowling game — began chasing the man. "There were around 20 people chasing him. They started throwing pétanque balls at him," Najah said, "Around four or five balls hit him in the head, but they weren't able to stop him."
The man was soon arrested; authorities have not publicly identified the suspect or a possible motive. A French police source told the BBC, "At this stage, there is nothing to indicate that it could be a terrorist attack."
In a tweet, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo thanked the police and those who tried to stop the attacker.
"I would like to thank the officers of the BAC [Anti-Crime Brigade] for their responsiveness and professionalism," Hidalgo said in a tweet translated by NPR. "By engaging with the perpetrator, they avoided other victims. I also salute the passersby who courageously intervened and came to the aid of the wounded. #Paris19"
The British Embassy in Paris told the BBC: "Our consular staff are assisting two British people who have been hospitalized in Paris, and are in contact with French medical staff who are treating them."
The U.K. Foreign Office said it was aware of reports of the attack and was "urgently investigating this incident" in cooperation with French authorities, according to British news reports.
Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
