On Tuesday morning, French President Francois Holland and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called the stabbing death of two police officials on Monday "a terrorist act." Two unidentified French officials tell The Associated Press that the assailant is a 25-year-old suburban Paris resident named Larossi Abbala, who was reportedly sentenced to three years in prison in 2013 on terrorism charges tied to recruiting jihadis in Pakistan. The attacker fatally stabbed the police officer outside his home in the Parisian suburb of Magnaville, then took his female partner, also a police official, and a child hostage.
When antiterrorism police stormed the apartment after unsuccessful hostage negotiations, in which Abbala reportedly claimed allegiance to the Islamic State, they found the woman dead but the child alive. The attacker was killed in the raid. Hollande and Cazeneuve both compared the attack to the murder of 49 people in Orlando, Florida, early Sunday morning, with Hollande warning that France still faces a "very large scale" terrorism threat and Cazeneuve saying that France has arrested more than 100 people viewed as potential threats this year, including in recent weeks, as France prepares to host a major European soccer tournament.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Spanish cop, 20 million euros and 13 tonnes of cocaineIn the Spotlight Óscar Sánchez Gil, Chief Inspector of Spain's Economic and Tax Crimes Unit, has been arrested for drug trafficking
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the rise and fall of Matt GaetzCartoons Artists take on age brackets, backbiting, and more
-
The future of XTalking Point Trump's ascendancy is reviving the platform's coffers, whether or not a merger is on the cards
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain PrizeSpeed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 winsspeed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughterspeed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
