Extremist slain, 3 dead after rampage in southern France

TREBES, FRANCE » A gun-wielding extremist went on a rampage Friday in a quiet corner of southern France, killing three people when he hijacked a car, opened fire on police and took hostages in a supermarket, where panicked shoppers hid in a meat locker or ran through the aisles.

After an hours-long standoff, the 25-year-old attacker was slain as elite police forces stormed the market. They were aided by a heroic police officer who had offered himself up in a hostage swap and suffered life-threatening wounds as a result; one of 16 people injured in the day’s violence. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack near Carcassonne The gunman was identified by prosecutors as Moroccan-born Redouane Lakdim. It was the deadliest attack in France since Emmanuel Macron became president.

The officer who volunteered to take the place a female hostage was identified as Col. Arnaud Beltrame.