- Title: French interior minister says police force stricken by knife attack
- Date: 3rd October 2019
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (OCTOBER 3, 2019) (REUTERS) POLICE VANS IN FRONT OF POLICE PREFECTURE POLICE STANDING NEAR POLICE LINE AMBULANCE DRIVING BY POLICE STANDING WITH ONLOOKERS POLICE VAN PARKED NEAR PERIMETER FRENCH FLAG FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER, CHRISTOPHE CASTANER, AND PARIS PROSECUTOR, REMY HEITZ, WALKING OUT OF PREFECTURE FOR NEWS BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER, CHRISTOPHE CASTANER, SAYING: "The investigation has just started. The prosecutor will present different elements (of the incident). Of course, I would like to extend my thoughts to the victims, to the victims' families. I would also like to extend my support to one of the injured victims, who is currently undergoing surgery, on whom the developments seem rather reassuring." ARMED SOLDIERS TALKING TO MAN ON STREET (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER, CHRISTOPHE CASTANER, SAYING: "Our staff are immediately mobilised under the prosecutor's authority to conduct the investigation in the best conditions and for the whole truth be shed. At the same time, all our staff are stricken, heartbroken by what happened here, right inside the offices of the police prefecture." POLICE CARS AND PEOPLE IN STREET LIGHT ON POLICE CAR POLICE CARS IN STREET PEOPLE STANDING ON STREET (SOUNDBITE) (French) PARIS PROSECUTOR, REMY HEITZ, SAYING: "We deplore the death of four people, four people who worked in two departments of the police prefecture: the intelligence services and the community safety services. Three men and one woman, three police officers and one administrative employee, were killed." POLICE VANS DRIVING IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (French) PARIS PROSECUTOR, REMY HEITZ, SAYING: "The motives behind the actions of the assailant, who was neutralised by a police officer on the scene - who was a 45-year-old man, the suspect was aged 45 - a search is underway in his home. Other investigations will be conducted in the following hours." EIFFEL TOWER HELICOPTER FLYING BY PEOPLE ON STREET FIRE TRUCKS ON BRIDGE RIVER SEINE, FIRE TRUCKS ON BRIDGE ARMED SOLDIERS AND PEOPLE BY BRIDGE PEOPLE STANDING ON STREET POLICE CARS SOUNDING SIRENS DRIVING BY OFFICER TYING POLICE LINE ON POST POLICE AND PEOPLE ON STREET
- Embargoed: 17th October 2019 16:05
- Keywords: prosecutor investigation Paris Remy Heitz police attack armed man security knife interior minister Christophe Castaner
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Crime
- Reuters ID: LVA001AZJNOSN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CAN BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH EDITS 4160-FRANCE-SECURITY/ AND 4161-FRANCE-SECURITY/UPDATE, WHICH CONTAIN EARLIER IMAGES OF POLICE NEAR KNIFE ATTACK SCENE
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Thursday (October 3) that all police staff are "stricken and heartbroken" in the aftermath of a knife attack that killed five people inside the Paris police headquarters.
A 45-year-old IT assistant at the police headquarters in central Paris went on a knife rampage inside the building on Thursday, killing three police officers and an administrative worker before he was shot dead by an officer, French officials said.
The officials declined to say what the motive was for the attack, which took place at lunch-time, and they said they were still trying to understand if there was a terrorism link.
But sources close to the police were quoted by French media as saying that the attacker had a grievance with his managers.
"Our staff are immediately mobilised under the prosecutor's authority to conduct the investigation in the best conditions and for the whole truth be shed," Castaner said.
The dead, three men and a woman, included three police officials and a police administrative assistant, according to Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz. Another person was wounded and was undergoing surgery.
Heitz said police were searching the attacker's home, and that anti-terrorist investigators were evaluating whether there were any terrorist links.
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