Police Attack in Paris
Tourists and locals watched in horror yesterday afternoon as a car deliberately plowed into a police van on the popular Champs-Elysees.
The incident began at 15:40 local time, when the first of group of police vans driving down the Champs-Elysees was hit by a small white car.
Some passersby witnessed the scene unfold.
“We were waiting to cross the street and suddenly heard an explosion and the car was in flames,” said Eugenio Morcilla, who captured some of the action on video.
Immediately after the collision, police grabbed the man inside the vehicle and placed him on the ground.
According to Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, along with various weapons, there were enough explosives inside the car to allow it to be blown up upon impact.
Reports have suggested that the driver was under what is known as a “Fiche S” file. This is a French radicalisation watch list comprising thousands of names of people, some of whom are under surveillance.
While neither police officers nor members of the public sustained any injury, the man driving the vehicle was later confirmed dead by authorities.
According to Collomb, police are now investigating “the individual’s past and see what motives pushed him to take action”.
This is the fifth time in four months that security forces in Paris have been attacked. As a result, the prosecutor’s office has made the decision to open an official anti-terror investigation.
