Algerian man who attacked policemen in Cannes, between life and death

An Algerian man who attacked a police patrol in the French city of Cannes with a knife this morning and said he was acting in the name of the Prophet Mohammed was shot dead by police officers and is "between life and death", French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said. 

The 37-year-old assailant has no criminal record and is not registered with the French secret services, and the anti-terrorist prosecutor's office has not yet considered the investigation to be within its remit, Darmanin told reporters outside the Cannes police station where the incident took place. 

The Algerian, who has lived in Europe for more than 10 years, has an Italian residence permit and weeks ago applied for residency in France, where he has been known to be a frequent presence since 2016, although the prefecture had not granted it until now. 

No police officers were injured, although one of them was stabbed by the attacker, but the bulletproof vest he was wearing protected him. 

"His bulletproof vest saved him," the minister stressed, congratulating the officers for their "cold-bloodedness and professionalism" that enabled them to neutralise him. 

It is a completely unacceptable attack," added Darmanin, who did not comment on the possible terrorist nature of the attack, saying "there is an open investigation". 

The incident occurred at around 6.30am local time (5.30am GMT) next to the central police station of the Cannes National Police as a patrol was about to start its service by car. 

A man approached the vehicle with the excuse of asking for information and attacked one of the officers with a knife, but was prevented from stabbing him in the body by a bulletproof vest. 

When he went to attack a second officer, one of his colleagues fired his service weapon at him and managed to stop him. He was badly wounded and was later taken to a hospital in Cannes. 

When many details of the incident were not yet known, the leader of the French extreme right and candidate for the Elysée, Marine Le Pen, considered that "these types of events are trivialised" because in her opinion "we do not do what is necessary" to prevent them. 

Speaking on BFM TV, Le Pen called for foreigners registered by the secret services to be systematically expelled to their countries and for measures to be taken against those countries that do not accept the expulsions of their nationals, such as suspending the granting of visas or the transfer of immigrants' remittances.