French president visits main Paris mosque — Charlie Hebdo anniversary

The man, believed to be a Tunisian called Tarek Belgacem, shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) before trying to attack an officer at the entrance of the police station in the ethnically-mixed Goutte d’Or district.

France has been remembering the attacks past year on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper and a Jewish supermarket that killed 17 people.

The president had earlier hinted at intelligence failings, that might have allowed attacks to take place.

Terrorism expert Jean-Charles Brisard, president of the Center for Analysis of Terrorism, noted the attack occurred in the 18th arrondissement, which could have a symbolic connection to the ISIS-claimed November attacks.

Map of Paris locating attack on police station. “So you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to make the right deduction”, Van der Sypt told The Associated Press. He “did not heed the warnings, and police opened fire”.

Authorities did not publicly identify the suspect.

“The president had a short conversation and a moment of friendship and fraternity over a cup of tea”, a French presidency official said.

The man, who has not yet been named, had a previous conviction for theft, according to AFP.

The Paris prosecutor, Francois Molins, said investigators are unsure of the man’s true identity.

France has honoured the victims of 2015 Islamist militant attacks with a silent ceremony in Paris. It did not elaborate on the claim of responsibility.

Molins went on to say anti-terrorist authorities were working on 215 cases involving 711 individuals in France. Since then, France has declared a state of emergency and closed three mosques thought to have been “radicalizing” their members.

France has continued its week-long commemoration events of the victims of a jihadist rampage a year ago.

Remembrance events marking the attacks – including at the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo – have been taking place all week, culminating in today’s ceremonies.

“I don’t think it has, I don’t think it’s changed (France)”.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry noted that solidarity on Thursday. He said the paper had to invest almost 2 million euros to secure its offices. “Every time I go out it’s in direct defiance (saying) “I’m not going to let those evil men take away my lifestyle – it means too much to me”, she said.

“What happened on Thursday brought it all back”, said Kiner.