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Paris policeman and wife killed in possible Isis-linked terror attack Paris policeman and wife killed in possible Isis-linked terror attack
(about 1 hour later)
A man who claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group stabbed a French policeman to death outside his house on Monday night before being killed when police moved in, sources close to the investigation said. President François Hollande has convened crisis talks after a man claiming allegiance to Islamic State stabbed a French police commander to death in front of his house outside Paris, then killed his partner who also worked for the police.
The man’s spouse was also found dead when police stormed the house in the Paris suburb of Magnanville. A three-year-old boy was rescued alive. French prosecutors have launched an anti-terror probe into the attack, which was reportedly carried out by a neighbour of the family. The 42-year-old police commander was in plain clothes when he was stabbed to death as he arrived home at around 8.30pm on Monday night in a quiet residential area of Magnanville, north-west of Paris.
Witnesses told investigators the attacker may have shouted “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest) as he stabbed the policeman repeatedly outside his home before holding the woman and the boy inside. The child was described as the couple’s son by French authorities. The attacker then entered the house and held hostage the commander’s partner – who also worked in the local police administration – and the couple’s three-year-old son.
Elite police squads rushed to the scene, sealed off the neighbourhood, cut electricity and negotiated with the attacker who told them he was a soldier for Isis and had sworn allegiance to the group.
Shortly afterwards loud detonations were heard as police stormed the house and killed the assailant. They found the woman dead and rescued the couple’s son alive.
The French attacker was identified by Le Monde and RMC radio as Larossi Abballa, 25, who was known to police for radicalism and already had a terrorism conviction.
He had been sentenced to three years in prison, six months suspended, in 2013 for “criminal association in view to preparing terrorist attacks” over his role in a recruitment network of jihadists linked to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
An investigation was launched by French anti-terrorist police just after officers stormed the house.
The police officer who died was named in the French media as Jean-Baptiste Salvaing, 42, described as an assistant chief in the nearby district of Les Mureaux. He was reported to have been wearing civilian clothes at the time.The police officer who died was named in the French media as Jean-Baptiste Salvaing, 42, described as an assistant chief in the nearby district of Les Mureaux. He was reported to have been wearing civilian clothes at the time.
The suspect was described as a neighbour and authorities tried to negotiate with him before storming the property at around midnight local time, according to French media reports.
Loud detonations were heard at the scene as officers from the elite Raid squad moved in.
Officers found the woman’s body when they stormed the building and the attacker was killed during the assault, said interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said. The boy was “in shock but unharmed” and receiving medical attention, a prosecutor added.
“The toll is a heavy one,” Brandet told reporters at the scene. “This commander, this police officer was killed by the individual … [and] we discovered the body of a woman. The assailant, the criminal, was killed. Thankfully a little boy was saved. He was in the house. He’s safe and sound. He was saved by police officers.”
Magnanville is about 35 miles north-west of the Paris CBD.Magnanville is about 35 miles north-west of the Paris CBD.
François Hollande said a meeting would be held at the presidential palace on Tuesday morning and declared that “all light will be shed” on the case. The French president condemned what he described as an “odious act”. “The toll is a heavy one,” interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told reporters at the scene. “This commander, this police officer was killed by the individual … [and] we discovered the body of a woman. The assailant, the criminal, was killed. Thankfully a little boy was saved. He was in the house. He’s safe and sound. He was saved by police officers.”
“Light will be shed on the circumstances of this abominable drama whose investigation, under the authority of justice, will determine the exact nature,” Hollande said in a statement. Islamic State appeared to claim the attack through its news agency. The Site Intelligence Group, a US-based monitor, cited the Isis-linked Amaq News Agency as saying on its Telegram channels shortly afer the attack: “Islamic State fighter kills deputy chief of the police station in the city of Les Mureaux and his wife with blade weapons near Paris.”
The interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, expressed his “infinite sadness” at the death of the police commander and his partner, who had worked for his ministry. A prosecutor said the three-year-old boy was “in shock but unharmed” and receiving medical attention.
“The attacker was neutralised by Raid forces, who showed great composure and great professionalism and who saved the couple’s little boy,” Cazeneuve said in a statement. The prime minister, Manuel Valls, tweeted that “a couple of police officers had been savagely assassinated”. He added: “Refuse fear, fight terrorism.”
“The inquiry opened by the justice authorities will establish the precise circumstances of this tragedy.” Hollande condemned what he described as an “odious act” and said “all light will be shed” on the case.
Sources close to the inquiry told AFP the attacker had claimed allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group while negotiating with police from the elite Raid unit. The interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, expressed his “infinite sadness” at the killings. He said in a statement: “The attacker was neutralised by Raid forces, who showed great composure and great professionalism and who saved the couple’s little boy. The inquiry opened by the justice authorities will establish the precise circumstances of this tragedy.”
“The anti-terror department of the Paris prosecution service is taking into account at this stage the mode of operation, the target and the comments made during negotiations with the Raid,” one source said.
The Site Intelligence Group, a US-based monitor, cited the Isis-linked Amaq News Agency as saying on its Telegram channels: “Islamic State fighter kills deputy chief of the police station in the city of Les Mureaux and his wife with blade weapons near Paris.”
Police sources had told AFP earlier in the evening that the attacker had taken the policeman’s partner and the boy hostage after stabbing the officer to death when he returned home around 9pm.
“The negotiations were unsuccessful – a decision was made to launch an assault” around midnight, said interior ministry spokesman Brandet.
French prosecutor Vincent Lesclous, who said he knew the slain police commander, said: “The investigation is beginning.
“We have no certainty about the attacker’s motivations,” Lesclous said.
The killing in France came a day after a gunman claiming to be acting in the name of Isis shot dead 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in the worst mass shooting in US history.The killing in France came a day after a gunman claiming to be acting in the name of Isis shot dead 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in the worst mass shooting in US history.
France is hosting the Euro 2016 football tournament under tight security. The country is still reeling from the November 2015 jihadist attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead. At the same time, France is hosting the Euro 2016 football tournament under tight security. The country is still reeling from the November 2015 jihadist attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.
With AFP, Reuters and AP Police officers were known to be potential target of jihadist terrorism in France, after two officers were killed in the attacks of January 2015. One officer, Ahmed Merabet, was shot dead by the French Kouachi brothers as they fled Charlie Hebdo magazine after opening fire on an editorial meeting.
Another police officer, Clarissa Jean-Philippe, was shot in the street the following day by their accomplice Amedy Coulibaly before he later took hostages at a Paris kosher supermarket, killing four.
Earlier this year police shot dead a man who tried to enter a Paris police station brandishing a butcher’s knife and wearing a fake suicide vest on the one-year anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attack.