French police arrest suspect after three stabbed in Paris metro attack

French authorities say they have arrested a suspect in the knife attack injuring three on the Paris metro on Friday, the prosecutor's office announced.

The assaults took place at three different metro stations, and a man was arrested in the Paris region.

Around 4 pm, a man "attacked three women with a knife on metro line 3, successively at the République, Arts et Métiers, and Opéra stations," a prosecutor told French media.

He was identified using CCTV footage and geolocation data from his mobile phone, authorities said.

"Activating the geolocation of his mobile phone led to his arrest late afternoon in Val d'Oise," the police said in a statement. "The police are on site. Back-up security teams have been deployed to reinforce safety on the line."

In a press release, the French Interior Ministry said that the suspect was of "Malian nationality" and "in an irregular situation". The man had already been detained in January 2024 "for aggravated robbery and sexual assault".

The suspect was released from detention last July and is subject to an obligation to leave French territory.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said he "regretted that it has not been possible to successfully remove the suspect". In the absence of valid identity papers and a consular pass, the man had been released under house arrest.

The Parisian public transport operator RTAP said that firefighters quickly attended to the victims, police arrived on the scene, and security teams were deployed to reinforce security on the metro line.

Two of the victims received emergency care and were transported to a hospital, although their conditions were not life-threatening, according to the authorities.

A third victim later arrived at the hospital in need of medical attention.