Police Involved in Incident Near Arc de Triomphe

On Friday, a man who had recently been released from prison after serving time for terrorism-related charges was shot by a police officer near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. This happened after he allegedly attempted to attack a police officer with a knife and scissors.

The event took place during the nightly relighting of the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The individual, a 1978-born French national, reportedly made an aggressive move toward officers stationed at the site, leading to the intervention that resulted in his death.

Authorities said he later succumbed to his injuries in a hospital, as confirmed by France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office.

This man had a history; he was sentenced in Brussels in 2013 to 17 years for attempting to murder three police officers in Belgium. He had only been released in December and was, upon his release, placed under police supervision, which included regular check-ins.

Prior to the incident, the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office in France had launched an investigation into him regarding a “terrorist plot.” He had been transferred to a French prison in 2015 before his eventual release just before Christmas Eve.

As a result of the incident, which saw the man shot, the Arc de Triomphe was closed to the public, although fortunately, no one else was injured.

Located at the end of the Champs-Elysées, the Arc de Triomphe is one of Paris’s most iconic and frequently visited attractions, drawing millions of tourists each year.