Police thwart 'kamikaze attack' in downtown Paris

Bomb disposal police officer checking car.
(Image credit: THOMAS SAMSON/AFP/Getty Images)

An apparent "kamikaze attack" was thwarted on Paris' Champs-Elysees Avenue on Monday when the driver of a car filled with weapons and gas canisters was killed after ramming his vehicle into a police van, The Guardian reports. The alleged attacker's car reportedly burst into flames after the crash; police, who had fired on the driver, pulled the driver's body from the blazing car, one French journalist reported witnessing.

The car contained two handguns, an AK-47 assault rifle, and gas bottles that could "potentially blow this car up," Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said. Bomb disposal teams were called to the scene to confirm the car posed "no further danger," AFP reports.

Two months ago, another attacker also targeted police in the Champs-Elysees area. Gunman Karim Cheurfi was killed after murdering two policemen; a note praising the Islamic State was found on his body. Separately, in London on Sunday a car drove into a group of people near a London mosque, killing one and injuring 10 others.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.