Attack on the knife: An attack on the Prefecture makes 4 dead and a woman is seriously injured

Four dead policemen and another person is seriously injured during the attack at the Paris police headquarters.

The assailant this administrative officer of the police headquarters, this 45-year-old man born in Martinique is presented as suffering from a disability and worked for 16 years as administrative agent within the DRPP (Directorate of Intelligence of the Prefecture of Police) of Paris) as a computer scientist.

The aggression occurred in the early afternoon inside this emblematic place of police power, located in the historic center of the capital, which includes the main directions of the Paris police with the exception of the federal police.

The assailant attacked his first three victims at around 1:00 pm for a reason that is still unknown, at the Intelligence Directorate of the Prefecture of Police (DRPP), before fatally wounding an affected woman in a police department in Paris on a staircase. He was shot in the courtyard of the police headquarters on August 19, 1944, and was shot dead by a police officer who told him in vain to release his knife, the sources said.

This category C official, an IT employee in the Prefecture Police Intelligence Directorate (DRPP), killed three police officers and one administrative officer with a kitchen knife.

A search of the home of the alleged perpetrator, located in the Paris region, was conducted by investigators on Thursday afternoon as part of an investigation opened by the Paris prosecutor Rémy Heitz for « intentional homicides and attempts to intentional homicide on persons holding public authority « . At the same time, the assailant’s wife was taken into custody.

Several hypotheses are studied: that of a sentimental vengeance followed by a stroke of madness, that of a professional conflict within his service, and another track is also dug: that of a possible religious radicalization.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, who was due to visit Turkey, postponed his visit and went to the scene. He was joined by President Emmanuel Macron, who came to « show his support and solidarity to all the staff, » Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

Paris is mourning his family this afternoon after this appalling attack on the @prefpolice. The toll is heavy, several policemen lost their lives. In my name and that of the Parisians, my first thoughts go to the families of the victims and their relatives.
– Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) October 3, 2019

« Seeing a colleague blame other colleagues is unheard of police memory, » said Denis Jacob, a leader of the union Alternative Police CFDT, who spoke of a context of « breaking the link between us « and » dehumanization of the institution « .

This deadly attack comes the day after a demonstration of thousands of police officers in Paris, for a « walk of anger », an unprecedented mobilization for almost 20 years.

Unlike previous mobilizations, it was not a bloody incident that acted as a trigger, but an overload of work and tension related to the social movement of « yellow vests », slammed against the social and fiscal policy of the government for almost a year, and a surge of suicides within the police (52 since January), a poor endemic in the institution. According to trade union organizations, 26,000 people took part in this mobilization. There are nearly 150,000 police officers in France.

If the motivations of the attacker of the police prefecture remain undetermined, the police are among the recurring objectives of jihadist organizations, including the Islamic State group (IS), while France has been affected since 2015 by a wave unprecedented Islamist attacks that left 251 dead.

France, hit since 2015 by a wave of unprecedented Islamist attacks that left 251 dead, still lives under a constant threat of terrorism.

About The Author

Gabriel MIHAI

See author's posts