April 2017 Champs-Élysées attack | |
---|---|
Part of Islamic terrorism in Europe | |
![]() Flags and candles in memory of the victims (2017) | |
Location | Paris, France |
Coordinates | 48°52′11″N2°18′30″E / 48.8696°N 2.3082°E |
Date | 20 April 2017 20:47 (CET) |
Target | Police officers on the Champs-Élysées |
Attack type | Shooting |
Weapons | AK-47 rifle |
Deaths | 2 (Jugelé and the perpetrator) |
Injured | 3 |
Assailant | Karim Cheurfi |
Motive | Islamic extremism |
On 20 April 2017, three French National Police officers were shot by Karim Cheurfi, a French national wielding an AK-47 rifle on the Champs-Élysées boulevard in Paris. One officer, French National Police Captain Xavier Jugelé, was killed and two other French National Police officers and a German tourist were seriously wounded. Karim Cheurfi was then shot dead by police. Amaq News Agency, which is linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), claimed the attacker was an ISIS fighter. French police and prosecutors are investigating the attack as terrorism, and have launched a counter-terrorism prosecution. [1]
The attacker was identified as French national Karim Cheurfi, who had an extensive criminal record that included a conviction and a twelve-year prison sentence for an earlier attempt to murder two police officers. Police found a note praising ISIS, along with addresses of police stations, on his body. Because the attack took place immediately before the country's 2017 presidential election, media reports commented on its possible influence in the election's tone.
At the time of the shooting, France was on high alert in the wake of the attacks in Paris in November 2015 and in Nice in July 2016, as well as in anticipation of the first round of the 2017 presidential election, which was scheduled in three days. Since 2015, there had been a spate of Islamist terrorist attacks on French police officers, soldiers and civilians, resulting in the deaths of more than 230 people. [2] [3] [4] Two men were arrested in Marseille two days before the shooting, for allegedly planning a terrorist attack. [5]
The attack is understood as part of a shift in ISIS strategy towards encouraging untrained ISIS sympathizers to undertake attacks with crude weapons, caused by improved security in EU countries and by the loss of capacity to direct attacks from and train operatives in the Middle East as ISIS steadily lost territory in Syria. [6]
At about 9:00 pm, Karim Cheurfi drove his vehicle next to a French National Police van. The French National Police officers were guarding the entrance of the Centre Culturel Anatolie, a Turkish cultural centre located at 102 Avenue des Champs-Elysées [7] [8] near the Franklin D. Roosevelt metro station and the Marks & Spencer store. [9] Karim Cheurfi quickly got out of his car and started firing an AK-47 rifle [10] into the van. Three officers were struck, one fatally. [11] [12] Cheurfi then attempted to flee on foot, firing at other people as he did, but was shot and killed by other responding officers. [12] [13] A female German tourist was also injured by "fragments from the shooting". [14]
The Avenue des Champs-Elysées was closed down and civilians were evacuated. [15] On social media, Paris police warned people to stay away from the area and said there was a "police intervention underway". [16] Investigators initially said the incident may have been related to a robbery, [17] but an anti-terror investigation was later launched. [11] A pump-action shotgun, ammunition, two kitchen knives, and shears were found in the gunman's car. [18] Amaq News Agency placed responsibility for the attack on the Islamic State. [19]
The officer who was assassinated was 37-year-old Xavier Jugelé, who was murdered outright by two gunshot wounds to the head. He was one of the officers to respond to the Bataclan theatre during the massacre there in November 2015. Jugelé had been a member of the Paris police force since 2010, and was known as a gay rights activist and member of FLAG, the French association for LGBT police officers. [20] [21] [22] He had been interviewed by the BBC in November 2016 when he visited the Bataclan when it reopened. [23] He also served twice in Frontex to assist in the European migrant crisis in Greece. [24] Jugelé was posthumously promoted to captain and awarded the knighthood of the Legion of Honor. [25] He was eulogized by his civil partner [7] Etienne Cardiles. President François Hollande, Emmanuel Macron and other dignitaries were at the national ceremony of honor which took place at the Paris Police Prefecture on 25 April 2017. [26] Cardiles later attended the installation of President Emmanuel Macron at the president's invitation. [27] Cardiles married Jugelé posthumously on 30 May. [28]
One of the two surviving officers was critically wounded and said to be improving. [18] [29] Both were made knights of the National Order of Merit. [25]
Amaq News Agency, which is linked to the Islamic State (ISIS), said the shooter was an ISIS fighter, giving his pseudonym as Abu Yusuf al-Beljiki. [16] [30] The claim suggested the attacker was from Belgium. [14] News outlets commented that the timing of the claim was "unusually swift". [13] [19] [31] French police identified the attacker as 39-year-old Karim Cheurfi, born in Livry-Gargan in 1977 and living in Chelles, east of Paris. [32] [33] French prosecutors said that a note praising ISIS fell out of his pocket after he was shot, and that he was carrying addresses of police stations. [34]
At the time of the shooting, Cheurfi was already well known to the DGSI, France's domestic security service. He had an extensive criminal record for violent robberies and a shooting in 2001, in which he shot two police officers when they pulled him over. He wounded one of the officers after grabbing his gun while he was being questioned. [15] [29] He was convicted of attempted murder in 2005 and he was sentenced to twenty years in prison, which was later shortened to fifteen years. Despite a history of violence while behind bars, he was released in October 2015. [35]
He had been detained in February 2017 for allegedly making threats to kill police, but was released due to lack of evidence. No evidence of radicalization was found, and he was never placed on a terror watch list. [29] [35] [36] [33] He was, however, added to a "radicalisation and terror prevention and alert list" created in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shooting, but he was not considered a priority. [37] CNN reported that a source close to the investigation said police had launched a counter-terrorism investigation in March 2017 after learning of his attempts to establish communication with an ISIS fighter. [34] AFP reported that police were aware of an attempt by Cheurfi to buy weapons in early 2016, with the intent of using them to kill French police officers in retaliation for the deaths of children in the Syrian Civil War. [38] His home in Chelles [14] was searched after the attack. [12]
Cheurfi's former lawyer said he was "extremely isolated" and a "psychologically fragile character" whose mental problems were not treated. He added that he never spoke about religion and talked mainly about "how to fill his daily life with video games". Cheurfi had visited Algeria sometime before the shooting, allegedly to get married. This was a breach of his parole, following which he was interviewed by the authorities, though a judge decided not to revoke his probation. [39] [40]
Following Cheurfi's identification, three members of his family were arrested in Chelles in the early morning of 21 April, [29] although investigators believe Cheurfi acted alone [41] and was inspired by ISIS but was not necessarily a member. [35] In January 2018, his father, Salah Cheurfi, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for having made comments of support for terrorism. [42]
President François Hollande called for an emergency security meeting at the Élysée Palace. [3] He later released a statement saying French police suspected the shooting was a terrorist attack. [2] [13] He also stated that the security forces are to handle the situation with "utmost vigilance" to ensure the security of the presidential election. [43]
Following the shooting, US President Donald Trump expressed his condolences to the people of France and said, "[W]e have to be strong and we have to be vigilant." [44] Trump later expressed his belief that the attack would have "a big effect" on the French presidential election. [36]
Other world leaders, including Angela Merkel and the government of the United Kingdom, issued statements in reaction to the shooting. [29]
As the attack happened three days before the first round of the French presidential election, three candidates ended campaign events early as "a mark of respect", with centre-right candidate François Fillon urging others to do the same. [11] [45] This was met with criticism from some other candidates like far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who said the violence should not interfere with the election process. [46] The attack changed the tone of the campaign in its last days. [47] [48]
As the attack occurred during a televised debate among all eleven candidates in the election, fears arose that extremists were hoping to influence the debate's tone. [49] With terrorism and security high priorities for Paris, The Guardian noted that the attack might serve as "ammunition" for right-wing candidates such as National Front leader Marine Le Pen, considered an outlier for her views on stronger border security and the deportation of radicalized foreigners, as well as Fillon. [45]
Bernard Cazeneuve, the French Prime Minister, criticized Le Pen's and Fillon's responses. He accused Le Pen of trying to exploit the shooting for politics and attacked her for demanding further security measures. He explained that she had voted against the government efforts on security previously, referring to her party voting against an anti-terrorism law in 2014 and against beefing up of resources for French intelligence services in 2015. He criticized Fillon's record on security during his term as prime minister. [50] [51]
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) long and 70 metres (230 ft) wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is located. It is known for its theatres, cafés, and luxury shops; as the finish of the Tour de France cycling race; and for its annual Bastille Day military parade. The name is French for the Elysian Fields, the place for dead heroes in Greek mythology. It has been described as the "most beautiful avenue in the whole world".
The Toulouse and Montauban shootings were a series of Islamist terrorist attacks committed by Mohammed Merah in March 2012 in the cities of Montauban and Toulouse in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France. He targeted French Army soldiers as well as children and teachers at a Jewish school. In total, seven people were killed and eleven more wounded.
On November 15, 2013, a gunman attacked the offices of the BFM TV news channel, in Paris, France. Three days later, on November 18, the same gunman attacked the offices of the Libération newspaper and the headquarters of the Société Générale bank. The gunman hijacked a motorist whom he forced to drive to Champs-Élysées before releasing him. The attacks set off a manhunt in search of the gunman, who was later apprehended.
Terrorism in France refers to the terrorist attacks that have targeted the country and its population during the 20th and 21st centuries. Terrorism, in this case is much related to the country's history, international affairs and political approach. Legislation has been set up by lawmakers to fight terrorism in France.
From 7 to 9 January 2015, terrorist attacks occurred across the Île-de-France region, particularly in Paris. Three attackers killed a total of 17 people in four shooting attacks, and police then killed the three assailants. The attacks also wounded 22 other people. A fifth shooting attack did not result in any fatalities. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility and said that the coordinated attacks had been planned for years. The claim of responsibility for the deadly attack on the magazine came in a video showing AQAP commander Nasr Ibn Ali al-Ansi, with gunmen in the background that were later identified as the Kouachi brothers. However, while authorities say the video is authentic, there is no proof that AQAP helped to carry out the attacks. Amedy Coulibaly, who committed another leg of the attacks claimed that he belonged to ISIS before he died.
On 26 June 2015, a mass shooting occurred at the tourist resort at Port El Kantaoui, about 10 kilometres north of the city of Sousse, Tunisia. Thirty-eight people, 30 of whom were British, were killed when a gunman, Seifeddine Rezgui, attacked a hotel. It was the deadliest non-state attack in the history of modern Tunisia, with more fatalities than the 22 killed in the Bardo National Museum attack three months before. The attack received widespread condemnation around the world. The Tunisian government later "acknowledged fault" for slow police response to the attack.
On 18 October 2015, a gunman shot and killed 19-year-old Israeli soldier Omri Levy in a bus station in Beersheba. After killing the soldier, he took his automatic rifle and fired into a crowd. When more security officers appeared, the gunman fled, but was killed by security personnel.
A series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 21:16, three suicide bombers struck outside the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, during an international football match, after failing to gain entry to the stadium. Another group of attackers then fired on crowded cafés and restaurants in Paris, with one of them also detonating an explosive, killing himself in the process. A third group carried out another mass shooting and took hostages at an Eagles of Death Metal concert attended by 1,500 people in the Bataclan theatre, leading to a stand-off with police. The attackers were either shot or detonated suicide vests when police raided the theatre.
On 20 December 2014, a man in Joué-lès-Tours near the city of Tours in central France entered a police station and attacked officers with a knife, shouting "Allahu Akbar" and injuring three before he was shot and killed. The attack was categorised as a case of religiously inspired terrorism by Europol, and has been reported by Europol as well as mappings by CNN and AFP as inspired by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Islamic terrorism has been carried out in Europe by the jihadist groups Islamic State (ISIL) or Al-Qaeda as well as Islamist lone wolves since the late 20th century. Europol, which releases the annual EU Terrorism Situation and Trend report (TE-SAT), used the term "Islamist terrorism" in reports for the years 2006–2010, "religiously inspired terrorism" for the years 2011–2014, and has used "jihadist terrorism" since then. Europol defines jihadism as "a violent ideology exploiting traditional Islamic concepts".
ISIL-related terrorist attacks in France refers to the terrorist activity of the Islamic State in France, including attacks committed by Islamic State-inspired lone wolves. The French military operation Opération Sentinelle has been ongoing in France since the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks.
The March 2017 Île-de-France attacks were a pair of terrorist attacks by the same individual in Garges-lès-Gonesse, an outer suburb of Paris, and at Orly International Airport near Paris on 18 March 2017. The attacker, a 39-year-old man identified as Ziyed Ben Belgacem, was shot dead after attempting to seize a weapon from a soldier patrolling the airport under Opération Sentinelle.
On 19 June 2017, a car loaded with guns and explosives was rammed into a convoy of Gendarmerie vehicles on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. The driver, identified as Djaziri Adam Lotfi was killed as a detonation clouded the car in orange smoke. The attacker had been on terrorism watchlists for Islamic extremism since 2014, and pledged his allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before the attack. In a letter to his family he stated that for years he had supported "the Mujahedeen who fight to save Islam and the Muslims," having practiced shooting "to prepare for jihad," and stated that the attack should be treated as a "martyrdom operation."
This article covers attacks and activity of terrorism in Belgium.
On 23 March 2018, an Islamic terrorist carried out three attacks in the town of Carcassonne and nearby village of Trèbes in the Aude department in southwestern France, killing three people and injuring fifteen.
On 3 June 2019, a gunman killed four security members—two police officers and two soldiers—in Tripoli, Lebanon. The attacker was a recent member of the militant group Islamic State (ISIS), but no group claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack took place when security forces were dispatched to the city's streets to ensure citizen safety at the end of the Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr holidays. The attacker was identified by the authorities and the Lebanese army as Abdel Rahman Mabsout; he was a former ISIS member who had participated in the Syrian Civil War against the Syrian government. He was detained and tried for fighting for ISIS when he returned from Syria in 2016 but was released after a year in jail in late 2017.
Posthumous marriage in France is legal but must be approved by several civil servants and the family of the deceased. France is one of the few countries in which it is legal to marry a partner posthumously.
Jeudi soir sur les Champs-Élysées, il effectuait des tours de sécurisation pour protéger un centre culturel turc situé au numéro 102.
Jeudi 20 avril, Xavier Jugelé, jeune policier de 37 ans, était chargé d'effectuer des tours de sécurisation sur l'avenue des Champs-Elysées, pour protéger un centre culturel turc.
L'échange a eu lieu non loin du magasin Marks & Spencer, près de la station de métro Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Le policier avait notamment participé à des missions au profit de Frontex, l'Agence de surveillance des frontières européennes, en Grèce, pour gérer l'afflux de migrants.