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French Prosecutors Open 'Attempted Murder' Probe After Petrol Bomb Attacks on Police
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In Short: French prosecutors have opened an investigation for 'attempted murder of persons vested with public authority' after petrol bombs were thrown at police during protests in Paris, according to multiple reports.
French prosecutors have opened an investigation for 'attempted murder of persons vested with public authority' after petrol bombs were thrown at police during protests in Paris, according to multiple reports. The investigation follows violent clashes between riot police and demonstrators, with prosecutors citing the use of explosive devices against security forces.
In Paris, a gendarme was severely injured when a petrol bomb was thrown at his unit. The officer described being under assault with glass bottles, paving stones, shards of glass, and firebombs. Another gendarme, identified only as Captain Alexandre, told AFP that his riot uniform's leg and shin protections melted due to the intense heat.
The number of shops damaged during the protests was significantly lower than in previous weeks, with only about 20 businesses affected, according to France's Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI). However, the violence against security forces remained a major concern, with prosecutors specifically citing 'attempted homicide against persons holding public authority.'
In a separate incident, three shootings occurred in the towns of Trappes and La Verrière, about 20 miles from Paris. France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office will take charge of the investigation into these shootings, which resulted in one death and four serious injuries.
The protests also spread to other European cities, including Frankfurt, where rioters damaged 17 shops and threw petrol bombs, injuring more than 100 police officers. In Germany, a youth initiative called 'Gen Z regelt' urged protests in 30 cities against military conscription and for various social causes.
What this adds
The investigation into the petrol bomb attacks on police is part of a broader crackdown on violence during protests, with French officials calling for harsh penalties for those involved in violent acts.
What's confirmed
- Prosecutors said an investigation had been opened in Paris for "attempted murder of persons vested with public authority".
- Prosecutors in France have launched an investigation into attempted murder after petrol bombs were thrown at security forces during protests in Paris, as video of an officer in flames provoked outrage.
- More than 770 people were arrested across France, the interior ministry said.
- "that we may also have come close to a catastrophe."
- French prosecutors have opened an attempted murder investigation after a petrol bomb was thrown at security forces during protests in Paris against rising living costs.
- Investigators are working to identify those responsible for the attack.
- The gendarme struck by the Molotov cocktail told French television of the burns he suffered, describing "skin that stings" and a "rain" of projectiles thrown at his unit.
- An assessment of the injured was ongoing, prosecutors said, adding that the reported injuries included second-degree burns. 'Under assault' The gendarme struck by the Molotov cocktail said his unit was "under assault", with glass bottles, paving stones, shards of glass, and firebombs thrown at them.
What's still developing
- "We were asking for all year groups," he said.
- Kevin T told investigators that he had designed the stickers with slogans such as "long live France, RN, proud to be French" himself and had them printed more than a year ago, Christen said.
- “In the heat of the action and under pressure, we thought this man had come to attack us, and my colleague pushed him away and used a restraint technique. This protester, or street medic, had actually come to help,” the gendarme, who identified himself only as Captain Alexandre in accordance with French regulations, told AFP.
- Une enquête a été ouverte pour "tentative d'homicide sur personnes dépositaires de l'autorité publique" après le jet de cocktail Molotov sur des gendarmes à Paris après les manifestations pacifiques de samedi, a indiqué le parquet de Paris sollicité par l'AFP ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/nXGH830S5H “Explosive devices were thrown at around 15 gendarmes as well as police officers,” the prosecutor’s office said.