Eiffel Tower stabbing investigated as racist incident, shouted 'dirty Arabs': reports
The women were injured in an altercation involving an 'unleashed dog'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two women were stabbed beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris in what French authorities are calling a racist incident.
One of the victims said she was with her cousin, who was wearing a hijab, and the attackers shouted "Dirty Arabs," before slashing them, according to the Daily Mail, which cited the local Liberation newspaper.
The victims told authorities they were injured after an altercation involving “an unleashed dog,” according to Euro News. Police and firefighters in Paris arrived near the Champ-de-Mars around 8 p.m. local time Sunday where they found the two women who had been stabbed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FRENCH ATTACKER PAID TEENS TO POINT OUT TEACHER BEFORE BEHEADING, PROSECUTOR SAYS
Another two women were being held Tuesday on suspicion of attempted murder connection to the stabbing, according to the Paris city public prosecutor’s office.
A recent government crackdown on Islamic extremism followed the killing of a history teacher who was beheaded after showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in class. President Emmanuel Macron has called the killing an "Islamist terrorist attack,” and French officials plan to expel 231 radicalized foreign nationals.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Samuel Paty, 47, was murdered on Friday by an 18-year-old, who had become radicalized and was shot dead by police in the incident. On Wednesday, France’s counter-terrorism prosecutor said a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old are among seven people accused of “complicity in murder in relation with a terrorist undertaking” and “criminal conspiracy.”
The killer offered students at the school where Paty taught 300-350 euros ($355-$415) to help identify the educator, prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard said during a news conference.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Some members of the Muslim community in France claimed instances of "Islamophobia" have increased since Paty’s killing.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.