Marseille, the bustling southern port city of France, was rocked by violence on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, when a man went on a stabbing rampage that left at least five people injured—one in critical condition—before he was shot dead by police. The attack unfolded in broad daylight, beginning at a hotel in the Belsunce district and spilling out onto the city’s busy streets, not far from the Old Port and notorious drug-trafficking hotspots.
Authorities quickly identified the suspect as a Tunisian national with legal residency in France. According to local prosecutor Nicolas Bessone, the man had just been evicted from his hotel for failing to pay his rent. The eviction, however, was only the beginning of a much darker episode. Bessone told reporters, “It would appear that he blindly and gratuitously attempted to strike people.”
The violence began around 2:45 p.m. when the man returned to the hotel, armed with two large butcher knives and a baton (described variously as a crowbar or iron bar in eyewitness accounts and police reports). He first targeted the person now occupying his former room, stabbing them and leaving the victim in a state of absolute emergency, according to the prosecutor. The hotel manager and a guest were among those injured in the fracas. The manager’s son was also attacked and stabbed in the back as he fled into the street with his father. Both were seriously hurt, but their lives are not believed to be in danger, Bessone said.
After the initial assault inside the hotel, the attacker’s rampage continued. He moved into the hotel lobby, stabbing the manager “one or more times” before chasing the manager’s son down the street. The man then entered a nearby bistro, attempting to stab customers, and proceeded to Cours Belsunce, where he tried to attack others at random. Witnesses described scenes of chaos and fear as people scrambled to get away from the assailant, who was reportedly shouting “religious and incoherent things.” One eyewitness told AFP that the man was holding “two large butcher knives.” Another reported to French media that police “tried to arrest [the perpetrator]” before “the man tried to attack a police officer with a knife.”
Graphic footage circulating on social media showed the suspect shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is the greatest) before advancing toward police officers. Prosecutor Bessone confirmed that the man “attempted to attack people... blindly and gratuitously” after being evicted. Police ordered the suspect to drop his weapons, but he refused. In a tense standoff, a police patrol equipped with tasers and automatic weapons confronted the man. He was reportedly subdued with an electric shock pistol before rushing at the officers. In the ensuing moments, officers fired seven shots, fatally wounding the suspect. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to hospital at 3:26 p.m.
The aftermath of the attack was grim. Police cordoned off the area near the fast-food restaurant in Bouches-du-Rhône, setting up a forensic tent and using umbrellas to shield the victims as investigators combed the scene for evidence. Local public transport services were suspended, and the area—already known for drug dealing and street crime—was thrown into further disarray. Forensic police officers worked late into the evening, piecing together the sequence of events and collecting witness statements.
According to Le Figaro, the suspect was known to territorial intelligence for reasons that remain unclear, but he was not listed in the database for preventing “radicalisation of a terrorist nature.” Despite the suspect’s shouts of “Allahu Akbar” and the randomness of the violence, judicial sources told France 24 that there were no grounds for France’s anti-terror unit PNAT to become involved in the case. Prosecutors instead opened investigations for attempted voluntary homicide and attempted voluntary homicide of police officers.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced he would travel to Marseille’s police headquarters on Tuesday evening, a move underscoring the gravity of the attack and the government’s concern over public safety in the city. Marseille, after all, has long struggled with gang violence and drug-related crime, and this latest incident only added to its troubled reputation. Local residents described the area as a “stone’s throw” from the Old Port, a place where street consumption of cocaine and drug-related violence is all too common.
Emergency services responded swiftly to the unfolding crisis. All five victims—including the hotel manager, his son, and the guest occupying the suspect’s former room—were treated by paramedics and rushed to area hospitals. The guest was reported in critical condition, while the manager and his son were in “relative emergency.” Others injured on the street and in the bistro suffered wounds but were expected to survive.
The investigation, as prosecutor Bessone emphasized, was still in its early stages. Authorities were working to piece together the attacker’s motives and background. While some witnesses described the man as shouting religious phrases, others said he appeared incoherent and agitated. The suspect’s status as a legal resident of France and his prior contact with intelligence services raised questions about whether more could have been done to prevent the tragedy, but officials stopped short of labeling the incident as terrorism.
As news of the attack spread, the city’s sense of vulnerability deepened. For many Marseillais, the event was a chilling reminder of the unpredictable dangers lurking in their midst. The area where the attack occurred, already marked by social and economic challenges, was left to grapple with the aftermath. Police presence was heightened, and local officials vowed to support the victims and their families.
In a statement to AP, Bessone reiterated the randomness of the violence: “He continued his rampage in a nearby snack bar and in the streets, trying to injure people at random, before he was ‘neutralized’ by police.” The city, meanwhile, braced itself for the official visit of Interior Minister Retailleau and the ongoing investigations that would seek to answer the many questions left in the wake of this harrowing attack.
For Marseille, a city accustomed to hardship and resilience, the events of September 2 have left scars that will not soon fade. The rapid response of law enforcement and emergency services may have prevented further bloodshed, but the community’s sense of security has been deeply shaken. As investigations continue and authorities search for answers, the people of Marseille are left to pick up the pieces, determined to move forward in the face of adversity.
