French police officer and partner killed in terrorist act

FRENCH Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve released a statement following a cabinet meeting on June 14, saying that “An appalling terrorist act was committed yesterday in Magnanville by an individual who attacked a police officer and his wife, who was herself an official in a police station.” 

According to reports, the killer was a local resident Larossi Abballa who had been imprisoned in 2013 for links with jihadists in Pakistan, and his action has now been claimed by Daesh who he apparently supported and he has been classed by them as a ‘fighter.’

The terrorist attacked the 42-year-old officer outside his home about 55 kilometres north-west of Paris, stabbing him to death and then took the man’s wife and young child as hostages.

Quickly alerted to what had happened, the anti-terrorist force Raid arrived at the scene at 9pm and after attempting to negotiate with the killer decided to launch an attack on the property at around midnight as they believed that he would never surrender.

Once the officers stormed the property, killing the terrorist, they found that the woman was dead but the little boy was safe and unhurt. 

Having publicly declared this an act of terrorism, the French government recognises that this is the first known attack on French soil since the November massacres. They must now consider whether this will be the start of a campaign that will run during the football finals or if in the last few days, by arresting more than 100 people suspect of pro-Daesh leanings, they have removed the bulk of potential activists from the scene.