The American newspaper The New York Times said on Saturday that the police officer convicted of killing American George Floyd was stabbed inside his prison and injured by another inmate in a federal prison in Arizona in the southwestern United States.

The newspaper said that Chauvin "was stabbed on Friday in a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona, according to two people familiar with the matter."

The US federal prison authorities sent a statement to Agence France-Presse confirming the occurrence of an "assault" without specifying the name of the victim.

They also mentioned that prison staff "took measures to save the life of an inmate," confirming the calling of emergency medical services.

An American court sentenced the former police officer who killed George Floyd in the city of Minneapolis last year to 21 and a half years in prison.

Also, last April, former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder after kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes.

The incident in May 2020 sparked protests around the world against racism.