French anti-terror investigators were Friday seeking to identify a man shot dead while trying to storm a Paris police station brandishing a meat cleaver and wearing a fake suicide vest.
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The incident occurred at about 11:30 a.m. local time Thursday outside the Goutte d’Or police station in the city’s 18th arrondissement. Journalist Anna Polonyi, who could see the outside of the police station from the window of her flat, posted photos on social media that showed what appeared to be a bomb-disposal robot beside the body of the man, who was wearing blue jeans and a grey coat.
Speaking about the extra police, Mr Hollande said they would be added to existing forces by 2017.
The man is believed to have been carrying a knife and reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he entered the building.
“He was found to be in possession of a mobile phone and a piece of paper on which the flag of Daesh was printed, as well as an unequivocal claim handwritten in Arabic”, the prosecutor said in a statement, using the Arabic name for ISIS.
The interior ministry spokesman said police were not looking for other suspects in flight. “The investigation is ongoing and is based on suspicion of attempted murder against persons of public authority in relation to a terrorist enterprise”.
The entire episode is “more likely terrorism”, a French law enforcement official who requested anonymity because he was not allowed to speak publicly on the matter told the Associated Press.
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The incident happened minutes after French President Francois Hollande paid tribute to police officers killed in the line of duty, including those killed in the Charlie Hebdo attacks. This comes not only in the wake of November’s Paris attacks, but on the one-year anniversary of the attack on Charlie Hebdo’s offices, which left 12 people dead. Some 240 people had been taken in for questioning in connection with them.
