• A municipal policewoman was seriously injured with a knife Friday morning in La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, near Nantes.

    His attacker stole his gun before fleeing.

  • For more than three hours, the gendarmes crisscrossed the area to find the fugitive.

    He was shot dead by the soldiers on whom he opened fire with the weapon stolen from the policewoman.

  • An investigation was opened by the Nantes prosecutor's office.

    According to the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, the radicalization of the suspect was reported in 2016 during his detention because of “his rigorous practice of Islam”.

A municipal policewoman was injured this Friday morning in Chapelle-sur-Erdre (Loire-Atlantique) by a man armed with a knife.

A manhunt was then launched by the gendarmerie to find the attacker who had seized the police officer's service weapon before fleeing.

Shot at the time of his arrest by the soldiers, he died in hospital.

20 Minutes

takes stock of the situation.

What happened ?

At around 10:15 am, the attacker entered the premises of the municipal police and spoke of "a car problem", explained the mayor of the town, Fabrice Roussel. He then stabbed a policewoman who was shot in the thigh. Before fleeing, the man seized the police officer's service weapon. He leaves in the car and hits a median a little further, forcing him to abandon his vehicle.

A vast manhunt was launched: 180 departmental gendarmes and 60 mobile gendarmes were mobilized, as well as the GIGN branch in Nantes, two helicopters and three dog teams.

The hunt ends three hours later, near the Chapelle-sur-Erdre gendarmerie.

The suspect opened fire on the gendarmes with the weapon stolen from the policewoman.

Two gendarmes were injured, in particular in the hand and in the arm, and a third was shocked.

The man was also affected.

Seriously injured, he was taken to hospital and admitted to intensive care where he died, a source close to the case tells us.

Who is the attacker?

The investigation opened by the Nantes prosecutor's office and entrusted to the gendarmes of the research section should shed light on the attacker's motives. He is a Frenchman in his forties, known to the police and gendarmerie for various common law cases "with great violence", said the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, during a press point. He was released from prison last March. His radicalization was reported in 2016 during his detention because of “his rigorous practice of Islam”.

He was registered with the FSPRT (File of alerts for the prevention of terrorist radicalization) but has never been convicted of acts of terrorism.

In addition, he had also been "diagnosed as severe schizophrenic", added Gérald Darmanin.

He was undergoing treatment and was "followed by a specialized association" since his release from prison.

Who is the victim ?

The victim is a woman in her forties, who has been carrying out her missions for several years alongside three other municipal police officers in La Chapelle-sur-Erdre.

His face is known to all the inhabitants and traders of the town.

Seriously injured, she was taken to hospital but "her life is not in danger," said the mayor of Chapelle-sur-Erdre.

Miscellaneous

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Society

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  • Radicalization

  • Society

  • Nantes

  • Aggression

  • Police

  • Gendarmerie