Police officer killed, 2 others injured in Champs Elysees area of Paris

Update April 21

At a press conference on April 21, Paris prosecutor François Molins named the shooter as Karim Cheurfi, who was known to police. His ID and fingerprints match. The vehicle he was in was an Audi. It parked, started again, and then stopped at a police bus in front of the Turkish tourist office. At 20:47, he walked around the front of the vehicle and used an Kalashnikov-type assault rifle to shoot the driver twice in the head, killing him. Molins said he then walked around the bus, shooting several times at other officers who were guarding the Turkish tourist office. A 34-year-old police officer at the back of the bus was severely injured, but their life is not in danger; a 31-year-old officer was slightly injured; and a passer-by was shot in the foot. A handwritten note found at the scene carried a message supporting Islamic State. Others found had police department addresses written on them. A bag in the vehicle had a pump-action shotgun, knives, scissors and a Quran. Police found another gun part and a cellphone after searching his home. Three people have been detained for questioning. The dead police officer has been named as 37-year-old Xavier Jugelé. Cheurfi was known to French security services. The 39-year-old was released on parole in 2015 after serving nearly 15 years in prison, the Guardian reported. He was convicted of three attempted murders, including two on police officers.

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One police officer was killed and two were seriously wounded on April 20 in a shooting in the Champs Elysées area of Paris. One officer was killed around 9pm when an assailant reportedly opened fire with an automatic weapon around the Franklin D. Roosevelt Metro station. Two other officers were seriously wounded and have been taken to the hospital. French President François Hollande said a bystander on the street was also shot. Le Figaro, citing police sources, said the person was a tourist who was lightly injured. Pierre Henry Brandet, a spokesperson for the French Interior Ministry, said the shooter was killed by nearby police officer who returned fire. Brandet said police were deliberately targeted. Paris anti-terrorist prosecutor François Molins said that “the identity of the attacker is known” and that investigators are looking at whether he had an accomplice. Police are investigating unconfirmed reports of a possible second assailant. The counter-terror unit of the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the shooting. Police have said to avoid the area, which remains on lockdown. See more

Intervention de police en cours sur le secteur des #ChampsElysees Evitez le secteur et respectez les consignes des forces de police

— Préfecture de police (@prefpolice) April 20, 2017

The shooting comes two days after French police arrested two men in Marseille on the suspicion they were planning an attack ahead of the April 23 presidential election. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the shooting and named the attacker via its Amaq agency.

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