Police officer dies in attack on Paris’ Champs-Elysees
Police officer, shooter killed in gunbattle
A gunman opened fire on police on Paris’ iconic Champs-Elysees Thursday night, killing one officer and wounding three people before police shot and killed him. The Islamic State group quickly claimed responsibility. French presidential candidates canceled or rescheduled last-minute campaign events ahead of Sunday’s first round vote in the tense election. Security already was a dominant theme in the race, and the violence threatened to weigh on voters’ decisions. Investigators were searching early today in at least one eastern suburb of Paris for a suspect identified as Karim Cheurfi, a 39-year old with a police record.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility after one police officer was killed in a rare exchange of gunfire on the famed Champs-Elysees in central Paris just days before a crucial presidential election.
Two other officers were seriously wounded in the attack in the popular tourist area. The gunman was killed by police.
The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, identified the attacker as Abu Yusuf al-Beljiki through its Amaq news agency, according to SITE Intel Group, a U.S.-based organization that monitors terrorists’ activity online.
Late Thursday, police searched the home of Karim Cheurfi, 39, east of Paris, which authorities said they believe is linked to the shooting, the Associated Press reported.
Cheurfi has a police record and is known to authorities, according to the Associated Press and CNN.
French President François Hollande said he is convinced the circumstances of the Paris shooting points to a terrorist act, the Associated Press reported.
Paris police spokeswoman Johanna Primevert initially told the AP that the gunman deliberately targeted police on guard near the Franklin Roosevelt subway station, and appeared to act alone. On Thursday evening, the Telegraph reported that police in Paris issued an arrest warrant for a second suspect who arrived by train from Belgium.
Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told BFM television that a man stepped from a car and opened fire on a police vehicle. A witness told Reuters that the attacker opened fire with a machine gun.
Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, said via Twitter that she salutes “the dedication, bravery and professionalism of the police and rescue forces,” and thanked shopkeepers who sheltered many passersby when the shooting erupted.
President Trump, addressing reporters at the White House, said, “It looks like another terrorist attack. What can you say? It just never ends. We have to be strong.”