Paris police officer killed in apparent terror attack
PARIS — A gunman wielding an assault rifle Thursday night killed a police officer on the Champs-Élysées in central Paris, stirring fears in France of a terrorist attack that could tip voting in a hotly contested presidential election that starts Sunday.
The gunman was shot dead by police as he tried to flee on foot; two other police officers and a bystander were wounded. Police quickly blocked access to the crowded thoroughfare, lined with restaurants and high-end stores, as a helicopter hovered overhead. Officers began searching for possible accomplices after the attack, which set off panic and a scramble for shelter on surrounding streets.
Near midnight, President Francois Hollande said in an address to the nation that the attack appeared to be an act of terrorism. The Islamic State claimed responsibility in a message posted on a jihadist channel, and the Paris prosecutor said he had opened a terrorism investigation.
The attack came only days before the start of a presidential vote that could reverberate across Europe, and as the 11 candidates were having their final quasi-debate on the France 2 television network.
Analysts have been saying for weeks that an attack just before the first vote, or between the first vote and the runoff on May 7, could tip the election toward a candidate perceived as tougher on crime and terrorism, especially far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who hardened her stand against Muslim immigration in the campaign’s final days, linking it to security fears.
The debate format was one-on-one interviews lasting 15 minutes each, followed by an almost three-minute conclusion, and the presidential candidates quickly delivered Twitter posts about the attack as if they were not on the air. Those whose interviews were still being broadcast took the opportunity to speak about their security proposals.
Francois Molins, the Paris prosecutor, said that shortly before 9 p.m., a car pulled up to a police vehicle that was parked in front of a Marks & Spencer store. A gunman jumped out and opened fire on the vehicle, killing an officer. The gunman then tried to flee while firing at other officers but was killed by police.
France has been on high alert since the terrorist attacks in and around Paris in November 2015, and this presidential election will be the first to be conducted under such conditions. Authorities have been warning for months that despite the lack of any large-scale attacks, the threat has not abated.
Molins, who handles terrorism investigations nationwide, said authorities had identified the killer, but he declined to provide the gunman’s identity because police raids and the search for potential accomplices were still ongoing.
The speed with which the Islamic State claimed responsibility was “surprising,” said Peter R. Neumann, director of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence at King’s College London. “It seems prepared and coordinated, like they knew this was going to happen,” he said.