TREBES, France (AP) — The Latest on the extremist attack in southern France (all times local):1:30 p.m.France is mourning the death of a courageous police officer who offered himself up to an Islamic extremist gunman in exchange for a hostage during an attack on a supermarket.Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame, a 44-year-old gendarme, died from his injuries after the attacker shot him. Flags are at half-staff at all French gendarmeries.Hashtag #ArnaudBeltrame has been the most used on Twitter in France, with many social media users paying tribute to a "hero" who gave his life to save others.Residents of Carcassonne and the nearby town of Trebes, where the supermarket attack took place, are placing flowers in front of the gendarmerie local headquarters.Marie Kerboull, resident of Carcassone, said she her flowers were meant to be a show of support "the family. He is our hero."Marie Castelles, of Trebes, said "the military, the police officers, I would like to give them a big … [Read more...] about World The Latest: France mourns police officer slain in attack
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The Latest: France mourns police officer slain in attack
The Latest: France mourns police officer slain in attack March 24, 2018 Updated: March 24, 2018 7:40am Photo: Emilio Morenatti, AP Image 1of/7 CaptionClose Image 1 of 7 A woman places flowers at the main gate of the Police headquarter in Carcassonne on Saturday, March 24, 2018, following an attack on a supermarket in the south of France on Friday. A French police officer who offered himself up to an Islamic extremist gunman in exchange for a hostage died of his injuries, raising the death toll in the attack to four, and the officer was honored Saturday as a national hero of "exceptional courage and selflessness.". less A woman places flowers at the main gate of the Police headquarter in Carcassonne on Saturday, March 24, 2018, following an attack on a supermarket in the south of France on Friday. A French police officer who ... more Photo: … [Read more...] about The Latest: France mourns police officer slain in attack
Extremist killed in France attack
TREBES, France -- A gun-wielding extremist unleashed bloodshed in southern France on Friday, killing three people as he hijacked a car, opened fire on police and took hostages in a supermarket, where panicked shoppers hid in a meat freezer or ran through the aisles. After an hourslong standoff, the 25-year-old attacker was slain as police stormed the market with the help of an officer who had offered himself up in a hostage swap and suffered life-threatening wounds -- one of 16 people injured in the day's violence. The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the rampage near Carcassonne, a medieval city frequented by tourists, and the town of Trebes. It was the deadliest attack in France since Emmanuel Macron became president last year. The officer who volunteered to take the place of a female hostage was identified as Col. Arnaud Beltrame. He managed to surreptitiously leave his cellphone on so that police outside could hear what was going on inside the supermarket -- … [Read more...] about Extremist killed in France attack
Death toll in attack in France rises to 4 after police officer who swapped himself for hostage dies
PARIS — A gunman killed four people and injured several others Friday in an attack that roiled the country that has borne the brunt of Europe’s recent struggle with terrorist violence. One of the victims, Arnaud Beltrame, was a 44-year-old police officer who had traded places with a hostage in a supermarket shootout. By midafternoon, police had shot and killed the gunman, French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb announced. The violence began Friday morning when the gunman hijacked a car near the southwestern town of Carcassonne and then shot at a group of four national police officers returning from a morning jog, wounding one of them. He then drove to the nearby town of Trèbes, not far from Toulouse, where he stormed into a supermarket, opened fire and held employees and customers hostage for several hours. A person in the hijacked car was killed, as were two people at the supermarket. Collomb identified the gunman as a 26-year-old local petty criminal and … [Read more...] about Death toll in attack in France rises to 4 after police officer who swapped himself for hostage dies
The Latest: France attack: Supermarket manager felt helpless
The Latest: France attack: Supermarket manager felt helpless March 24, 2018 Updated: March 24, 2018 4:30am Photo: Jean-Paul Bonincontro, AP Image 1of/3 CaptionClose Image 1 of 3 Police cordons off the area of a raid at the suspect's residence, involved in a shooting, in Carcassonne, southern France, Friday, March 23, 2018. A gun-wielding extremist unleashed bloodshed in a quiet corner of southern France on Friday, killing three people as he hijacked a car, opened fire on police and took hostages in a supermarket. less Police cordons off the area of a raid at the suspect's residence, involved in a shooting, in Carcassonne, southern France, Friday, March 23, 2018. A gun-wielding extremist unleashed bloodshed in a quiet corner ... more Photo: Jean-Paul Bonincontro, AP Image 2 of 3 This image posted on Saturday, March 24, 2018 by the … [Read more...] about The Latest: France attack: Supermarket manager felt helpless