French police shot dead a suspected suicide bomber Thursday as he attacked a police station in Paris, a year to the day since militant gunmen killed 12 people at Charlie Hebdo newspaper.
The man reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest) and was carrying a knife and possibly wearing what appeared to be an explosives vest, the interior ministry said.
News of the attack came just after President Francois Hollande concluded a sombre speech at police headquarters to mark the anniversary of the killings at Charlie Hebdo’s offices on January 7, 2015.
“On Thursday morning, a man attempted to attack a policeman at the reception of the police station before being hit by shots from the police,” said interior ministry spokesperson Pierre-Henry Brandet.
Explosives experts were deployed to the scene in the multi-ethnic Goutte d’Or district, close to the Gare du Nord international station, the source added.
With France also still grieving from the massacre of 130 people by militants in Paris in November, Hollande used his speech to call for greater cooperation between the security services.
“Faced with these adversaries, it is essential that every service — police, gendarmerie, intelligence, military — work in perfect harmony, with the greatest transparency, and that they share all the information at their disposal,” the president said.
Many of the attackers in both January’s rampage and the attacks in November were known to French security services, having either travelled abroad to fight with extremists or been prevented from doing so.