A police officer was injured in a knife attack in Paris. The attacker was killed by the police

PARIS – A police officer was injured in a knife attack in the upscale Champs-Elysees district of Paris on Thursday; the attacker died from gunshot wounds, authorities said just days before the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said the attack appeared to have no connection with the Olympic Games and no terrorist motive was suspected.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on X that the attack took place in Paris’ 8th arrondissement as police “responded to an emergency call from officers guarding a store.” According to a police official, security guards at the Louis Vuitton flagship store on the Champs-Elysées contacted police after noticing “suspicious behavior” from a man outside the store.

After the stabbing, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said outside the Louis Vuitton store that the attacker “pulled out a knife and threatened them (the officers), tried several times to stab them and succeeded in stabbing them.”

He defended the police response, saying it was “completely proportionate. They were faced with an attacker who threatened their lives.”

The suspect died from injuries caused by the gunshot wound, the public prosecutor’s office in Paris announced. Investigations have been launched into attempted murder of a police officer, the public prosecutor’s office announced. The police officer was taken to hospital, but his life is not in danger.

The area was swarming with tourists and Parisians when the attack happened around the corner from the Louis Vuitton boutique. Some took photos as police cordoned off the area, while others continued their meal at nearby sidewalk cafes.

Associated Press reporters saw police reinforcements arrive after the stabbing. At a nearby luxury hotel, guests arriving by taxi had to pass under police cordons to get into the hotel while a porter wheeled their luggage under the cordon.

Long lines often form in front of the Louis Vuitton store, and it is one of the biggest attractions on a street full of luxury boutiques. Louis Vuitton’s parent company LVMH did not comment on the incident.

Thursday’s knife attack came just days after a man stabbed and injured a French soldier patrolling outside the Gare de l’Est train station in eastern Paris on Monday. The man has been taken to a psychiatric hospital, French prosecutors said.

France is on high security alert ahead of the start of the Paris Olympic Games on July 26. Paris police have imposed strict new security measures in the city center from Thursday to prepare for the unusual opening ceremony, which will not be held in an enclosed stadium but outdoors along the Seine.

Darmanin will remain in charge of the Interior Ministry until a new government is formed following parliamentary elections earlier this month.

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Angela Charlton, David Goldman and Kwiyeon Ha in Paris contributed to this report.