As the sun set in Paris, a suspected Islamist terrorist was shot after charging French police with a bladed weapon near the Arc de Triomphe during a solemn ceremony Friday evening, authorities said. The attack unfolded shortly before the daily rekindling of the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, one of France’s most symbolically charged national rites.
Police identified the assailant as Brahim Bahrir, a 48-year-old French national who had been released from prison on Dec. 24, 2025, after serving 12 years of a 17-year sentence for terrorism-related violence. According to a report from the Associated Press, Bahrir was convicted in 2013 for stabbing three Belgian police officers in Molenbeek, a Brussels suburb, as part of a terrorist enterprise. He was later transferred to France to complete his sentence before his release late last year.
The Friday attack occurred shortly after 6 p.m. local time as members of the Republican Guard were conducting the Flame-of-the-Unknown-Soldier ceremony. Bahrir reportedly lunged at an officer, armed with a knife and scissors, prompting police to open fire. One officer sustained minor injuries before another officer shot the suspect multiple times, stopping the attack.
French authorities said no bystanders were injured. Bahrir was transported to the Georges-Pompidou European Hospital in critical condition, but later died of his wounds, according to the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office.
Officials confirmed that Bahrir was already known to authorities and had been placed under post-release surveillance due to his prior radicalization and assessed threat level. He was subject to routine reporting requirements at the time of the attack.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the incident as an act of terrorism and praised the police response, commending officers for their composure and for preventing what he said could have been far worse during a ceremony attended by civilians, including schoolchildren.
À l’Arc de Triomphe ce soir, alors que la Flamme était ravivée, une attaque terroriste a visé la Garde républicaine.
Je salue le courage et le sang-froid exemplaires de nos gendarmes et de nos militaires de Sentinelle : ils ont mis fin à l’attaque et évité le pire.…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 13, 2026
The nearby metro station was temporarily closed at the request of police, and security forces sealed off the area around the monument, which was converted into a crime scene. The traffic circle surrounding the Arc de Triomphe remained open, though the landmark itself was closed to the public as the investigation began at the scene of the crime.
France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor has opened an investigation into the attack.
The incident comes amid renewed scrutiny across Europe over Islamist violence carried out by individuals already known to security services, often following prison release. Recent attacks and foiled plots in France, Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom have fueled concerns that existing monitoring regimes are insufficient to contain the long-term threat posed by radicalized offenders, particularly as European governments grapple with high levels of immigration from regions affected by Islamist extremism and ongoing instability.
Friday’s attack, carried out at the heart of French national symbolism by a convicted terrorist under supervision, is likely to intensify debate over counterterrorism enforcement, post-release monitoring, and whether Western governments are adequately confronting the ideological roots of Islamist violence rather than merely responding to its aftermath.
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