Policeman killed, fear grips French presidential polls

The killing of a policeman on Paris’s Champs Elysees claimed by the Islamic State group rocked France’s presidential race on Friday with just two days to go before voting in the closest election for decades.

Bloodshed had long been feared ahead of Sunday’s first round of the election after a string of attacks since 2015, and the shooting propelled the jihadist threat to the fore.

A note praising Islamic State (IS) was found near the body of the 39-year-old French attacker, who shot dead one officer and wounded two others before being killed by police.

The note bolstered IS’s claim that the perpetrator, named as Karim Cheurfi, was one of its “fighters”.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen - who is locked in a tight fourway contest with centrist Emmanuel Macron, conservative Francois Fillon and Communistbacked firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon - moved quickly to present herself as the toughest of the four on terrorism.

The 48-year-old National Front leader called for France to “immediately” take back control of its borders from the European Union and deport all foreigners on a terror watchlist.

“This war against us is ceaseless and merciless,” she said in a sternly-worded address, accusing the Socialist government of a “cowardly” response to the threat.

Fillon and Macron also hastily convened televised briefings, where they both vowed to protect the French.

“Some haven’t taken the full measure of the evil,” 63- year-old Fillon said, promising an “ironfisted” approach.

Macron, a 39-year-old moderate whom other candidates have portrayed as inexperienced, warned against any attempts to use the attack for political gain.

“Let us not give into fear, let us not give into division,” he said, telling voters he would be “unwavering in protecting you.”

The gunman drew up alongside a police van and fired at around 9:00 PM on Thursday, sending tourists and visitors to the world-renowned boulevard running for their lives.

After opening fire just a few hundred metres from the Arc de Triomphe monument, the gunman was shot dead while trying to flee on foot. A foreign tourist was slightly wounded by shrapnel.