A knife attack in the French capital on Saturday left three wounded and a Malian national suspected of the crime in custody, the city's police said in a statement.

The detained man launched the attack at the Gare de Lyon railway station at 8:00 am, a major domestic travel hub with trains also heading to Italy and Switzerland.

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Two injuries were described by the police as mild, while one person suffered a serious wound in the abdomen. 

The offender presented the police an Italian driving license, showing his date of birth as January 1, 1992, and was stopped by citizens who happened to be on the crime scene before the police arrived.

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"A thank you to those who overpowered the man who carried out this unbearable act," said Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on X/Twitter.

The crime's motives were not yet identified.

The city's prosecutor launched a probe into the incident, while France's counter-terrorism prosecutor said it was monitoring the situation as it develops.
 
An approximated 100 million people pass through the central train station. But the significance of the assault is that it took place while Paris is almost six months away from hosting the 2024 Olympics.

Railway operation SNFC announced on X the temporary halt of terminals one and three while traveling toward the station were delayed, citing "an act of criminal intent".