Three women, including one who was pregnant, were stabbed in a violent attack in northwestern Paris on Thursday morning. The assailant, armed with two kitchen knives, targeted passers-by in a public square near the Porte de Clichy tram stop, close to the city’s main courts complex.

An off-duty police officer intervened and detained the suspect, who was subsequently taken into custody. According to reports, while being restrained, the man declared, “it is Allah who ordered me,” although authorities have urged caution regarding the attacker’s motive.

Laurent Nunez, France’s interior minister, stated that the suspect made a series of incoherent statements and appeared to downplay a terrorist motive. Officials are considering the possibility that the individual may be suffering from mental health issues. “We need to be very careful with respect to the motives for this very violent attack,” Nunez emphasized.

The three victims, aged 19, 24, and 36, sustained serious injuries and are currently receiving treatment at hospitals in the city. The interior minister noted that none of their lives are believed to be in danger. Geoffroy Boulard, the mayor of the arrondissement where the attack occurred, confirmed that one of the women was pregnant, though details regarding the severity of her condition and the status of her unborn child have not been disclosed.

At this stage, the suspect’s identity has not been confirmed. The French anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office is overseeing the investigation, monitoring the procedures being conducted by the Paris prosecutor’s office.

This incident follows a deadly attack in Berlin on Saturday, in which a 21-year-old Islamist radical, Abdul Ballout, drove a rented minivan into participants at the Christopher Street Day Pride parade, resulting in the death of one woman and injuries to 29 others. Ballout was shot dead by police at the scene.

Authorities in France continue to investigate the Paris stabbing, balancing concerns over potential terrorism with the possibility of mental illness as a driving factor behind the attack.