Islamic State claims Paris shooting
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| Police block entrance to the Champs Elysees after the shooting.- AFP |
(Vatican Radio) The so-called Islamic State group has
claimed responsibility for a shooting in Paris that has killed one policeman,
and injured two other officers as well as a bystander on the central boulevard
of the Champs-Elysées. France President Francois Hollande linked the attack to
terrorism and confirmed that the shooter was also killed.
The center of Paris appeared a war zone with special
security forces pushing people away from several areas, and rushing to the
streets to step up a security.
Thursday's shooting came just before the French presidential
elections. The shooter, who killed, was known to France’s security sources,
French media reported, quoting police.
French President Hollande quickly appeared on national
television to share more details with a worried nation. "This evening at
nine a clock police people in a car were attacked at the Champs-Elysée,"
said Hollande who was due to meet top security, defence and intelligence
officials on Friday.
"One policeman was killed, two others were injured. A
woman who walked there was also injured," he explained.
"The attacker has been neutralized. We are convinced
that the path the investigation is on will reveal that this event is of a
terrorist nature," Hollande stressed, adding that his thoughts go out to
the victims and their loved ones.
FAMOUS AVENUE
The choice of one of the world’s most famous avenues is seen
as symbolic. Islamic State state said one of its “fighters” carried out the
attack, naming him as “The Belgian”.
Other reports, unconfirmed but quoting sources close to the
inquiry, have suggested the suspect may be a French national.
The Paris prosecutor François Molins says the gunman has
been identified, but his name will not be revealed until investigators
determine whether he had accomplices.
It came as a shock for people in Paris as the city is still
recovering of several attack including those in November 2015, which was the
bloodiest attack in the Western world in years. In a coordinated string of
attacks — bombings and mass shootings — some 130 people were massacred and
scores more were injured.
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