Paris attack suspect’s parents and sister in police custody

OThe parents, who lived with the alleged perpetrator of the attack in Essonne, in the Paris region, are Iranian political exiles. Rajabpour-Miyandoab, 26 years old, has French nationality as he was born in the country.

In the case of suspicions of ‘jihadism’, it is common for French authorities to resort to police custody of elements close to the suspect, with the intention of obtaining information or detecting whether they are also involved.

Police custody in France can last up to 144 hours (six days) in cases of terrorism.

Local media reported that the suspect left a video claiming to be a member of the ‘jihadist’ group Islamic State (IS).

In the attack, a German tourist died after being stabbed and two people were injured, hit with hammer blows.

The attacker, who shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great”) before being arrested, had already been sentenced in 2016 to four years in prison for planning an attack, said French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin in statements to the press at the site of the attack, the 15th district of Paris, a few hundred meters from the Eiffel Tower.

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