PARIS (AP) — A man wielding a knife and scissors was fatally shot by police in Paris on Friday when he tried to attack an officer during a ceremony at the city's Arc de Triomphe monument, officials said.
The suspect, a French national born in 1978 who had previously been convicted in Belgium on terrorist-related charges, died at hospital from his injuries, the French counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said. Authorities did not release the suspect's name.
The attacker targeted an officer who was guarding the ceremony for relighting the eternal flame honoring unknown soldiers at the Napoleon-era landmark, according to a Paris police official. Another officer shot the attacker, the official said. No bystanders or police officers were injured in the incident, the official told The Associated Press.
Before the suspect had died, the French counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation on charges of attempted murder “in connection with a terrorist enterprise.”
The assailant had been sentenced to 17 years in prison by a court in Brussels in 2013 for attempted murders in connection with a terrorist enterprise against three police officers in the Belgian city of Molenbeek the previous year, according to the prosecutor's office.
First incarcerated in Belgium, he was then transferred to France in 2015 to serve the rest of his sentence. He was released from prison on Dec. 24, 2025, and had since been subject to judicial supervision and surveillance measures, the statement said.
The Arc de Triomphe is one of Paris' most famous sites, and sits atop the busy Champs-Elysees avenue.
A large police presence was visible Friday evening near the monument, which was closed to the public. The traffic circle surrounding the Arc de Triomphe remained open to vehicles.
The nearby metro station was closed for security reasons at the request of police, Paris public transport operator RATP said.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez expressed his “full support to the officer who intervened and acted with composure and determination in the face of the terrorist threat,” in a message posted on X.
FILE - A Paralympic Games symbol hangs at the Arc de Triomphe, June 28, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)
FILE - French farmers park their tractor in front of the Arc de Triomphe during a protest Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva, File)
LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — It was supposed to be Scotty James' night to finally break through and claim Olympic gold. Instead, Yuto Totsuka added to Japan's snowboarding dominance at the Milan Cortina Games on Friday by winning the men's halfpipe.
Totsuka showed why he is the world's top-ranked halfpipe rider this season when he dropped into his second run, performed back-to-back jumps with three head-over-heels flips and locked up the best score of the night.
James had two shots to beat Totsuka's score of 95 points. His first attempt earned him 93.50 points, good enough for a second straight Olympic silver medal.
James then had one more go with the last run of the final, but his chances at gold ended when he lost balance and tipped over near the bottom of the pipe. He held his face in his gloves while sitting on the snow after his fall.
The 31-year-old Australian had come to the Olympics, his fifth, having said that not having won a gold medal was “the elephant in the room” of a career filled with multiple titles, including four world championships.
He won his third Olympic medal after bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and silver four years ago at the Beijing Games. But he still wants that gold.
“To be honest, I’m a bit numb,” James said. “I’ll have time to think about it and have a proper answer, I’m sure, in the next 24 hours. But look, it was an amazing competition, it was great to be a part of it, and, Yuto won, and that’s, that’s what it is.”
James said he had no regrets about his strategy and choice of tricks.
“I definitely did it my way and my way was the right way,” he said. “It was just up to me to, to do a better job of it, and I didn’t, and that’s why I guess I came up second, so I can live with that.”
James, the oldest rider in the final, wiped his eyes as he approached the podium. Friday's event ended like four years ago, when he came up short against Ayumu Hirano. The defending champion from Japan finished Friday's final in seventh place while still recovering from a bad fall in competition last month in Switzerland.
It was the 24-year-old Totsuka, not James, who took the baton from Hirano.
Totsuka, competing at the Olympics for the third time, also wiped his eyes as he shed some tears of joy when they placed the gold medal around his neck.
Ryusei Yamada of Japan claimed the bronze medal. Teammate Ruka Hirano finished fourth, showing just how deep the Japanese contingent was.
These were medals No. 5 and 6 for Japanese snowboarders at the Milan Cortina Games. Three of those have been gold.
Kira Kimura and Ryomo Kimata took gold and silver, respectively, in men’s big air. Kokomo Murase won gold in women’s big air, while Mitsuki Ono took bronze in women’s halfpipe.
After Wednesday’s qualifying, New Zealand rider Campbell Melville Ives said “all the boys are going for blood,” predicting a massive battle in the final.
And while he and Guseli Valentino of Australia tried to land huge runs (Guseli reached 5.8 meters, or 19 feet, on one jump over the halfpipe), only James could challenge Totsuka and the other the Japanese riders.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Japan's Yuto Totsuka competes during the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Australia's Scotty James reacts during the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Japan's Yuto Totsuka celebrates during the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Gold medalist Japan's Yuto Totsuka reacts after winning the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Japan's Yuto Totsuka competes during the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Japan's Yuto Totsuka celebrates winning the gold medal in the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Japan's Yuto Totsuka competes during the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Australia's Scotty James reacts to his run during the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Australia's Scotty James reacts during the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Japan's Yuto Totsuka celebrates during the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
