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2017 shooting of Paris police officers
Part of Islamic terrorism in Europe (2014–present)
April 2017 Champs-Élysées attack (Paris)Show map of ParisApril 2017 Champs-Élysées attack (France)Show map of FranceApril 2017 Champs-Élysées attack (Europe)Show map of Europe
Location	Paris, France
Coordinates	48°52′11″N 2°18′30″E / 48.8696°N 2.3082°E / 48.8696; 2.3082
Date	20 April 2017 20:47 (CET)
Target	Police officers on the Champs-Élysées
Attack type	Shooting
Weapons	AK-47 rifle
Deaths	2 (including the perpetrator)
Injured	3
Assailant	Karim Cheurfi

On 20 April 2017, three police officers were shot by an assailant wielding an AK-47 rifle on the Champs-Élysées, a shopping boulevard in Paris, France. One was killed and two others, along with a female tourist, were seriously injured before the attacker was killed. Amaq News Agency attributed the attack to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). A counter-terrorism investigation into the attack was launched.

The next day, the attacker was identified as French national Karim Cheurfi, who had a criminal record that included a twelve-year prison sentence for shooting two police officers. Police said they found a note defending ISIL, 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.

Background

At the time of the shooting, France was on high alert in the wake of the November 2015 Paris attacks, and also due to the first round of the 2017 presidential election, which was scheduled in three days. Police officers and soldiers have been targeted in a spate of previous attacks, which included the killing of a police officer on the Champs-Élysées; that murder was attributed to organized crime. Two men were arrested in Marseille two days prior to the attack, for allegedly planning a terrorist attack.

Shooting

At around 21:00, a man pulled up next to a police van in a car. He quickly got out and started firing an AK-47 rifle into the van, which was parked in the area near the Marks & Spencer store. Three officers were struck, one fatally. The officers were guarding the entrance of Franklin D. Roosevelt metro station at the time. Initial reports that two police officers died were debunked. The shooter then attempted to flee the scene on foot, firing at other people as he did, but was shot and killed by other responding officers. An unidentified female tourist was also injured by "fragments from the shooting".

The avenue was closed down and civilians evacuated. Paris police released a tweet warning people to stay away from the area, followed by another tweet stating that there was a "police intervention underway". Investigators initially said the incident may have been related to a robbery, but an anti-terror investigation was later launched. A pump-action shotgun, extra ammunition, two kitchen knives, and shears were found in the trunk of the gunman's car. Amaq News Agency claimed responsibility for the attack for ISIL.

Victims

The deceased officer was identified as 37-year-old Xavier Jugele, who was immediately killed by two gunshot wounds to the head. Jugele was one of the officers to respond to the Bataclan theatre during the massacre there, and aided survivors in fleeing from the building. One of the surviving officers was critically injured, but said to be improving.

Perpetrator

At the time of the shooting, the attacker was already on the radar of the DGSI, France's domestic security service. He had a 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. He was convicted of attempted murder in around 2003, and sentenced to twenty years in prison, but the sentence was later reduced to fifteen years. He was released in October 2015. He had been detained earlier in February for threatening police, but was released due to a lack of evidence. They also didn't find any evidence of radicalization, and as such, he was never placed on a terror watch list. His home, located east of Paris in Chelles, Seine-et-Marne, was searched.

Amaq News Agency claimed the shooter was an ISIL fighter, giving his pseudonym as Abu Yusuf al-Beljiki. The claim also suggested that the attacker was from Belgium. News outlets commented that the timing of the claim was "unusually swift". French police later identified the attacker as 39-year-old Karim Cheurfi, born in Livry-Gargan in 1977 and living in Chelles. French prosecutors said a note defending ISIL fell out of his pocket after he was shot. They also said he was carrying addresses of police stations. 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 ISIL fighter.

Cheurfi's former lawyer said he was "extremely isolated" and a "psychologically fragile character" whose mental problems weren't 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 constituted a breach of his parole, following which he was interviewed by the authorities, though a judge decided not to revoke his probation.

Following Cheurfi's identification, three members of his family were placed under arrest in Chelles in the early morning of April 21. However, investigators believe Cheurfi acted alone and was inspired by ISIL but wasn't necessarily a member.

Suspected accomplice

After the shooting, an arrest warrant was issued for a second suspect who had arrived in France by train from Belgium. French sources say the man flagged by Belgian police in connection with the attack later turned himself in to them with his lawyer. He denied having any connection to the attack, and claimed he was working on Thursday evening at Total at the Scheldelaan in Antwerp. He was later cleared of any links to the shooting and was said to be wanted in a drugs case.

Aftermath and reactions

President François Hollande called for an emergency security meeting at the Élysée Palace. He later released a statement saying French police suspected the shooting was a terrorist attack.

As the attack occurred three days before the first round of the French presidential election, three candidates canceled campaign events early as "a mark of respect", with centre-right candidate François Fillon urging others to do the same. This action 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. Since the attack also occurred during a televised debate between all eleven candidates in the election, fears arose that extremists were hoping to influence the debate's tone. With terrorism and security high priorities for Paris, The Guardian noted that the attack may 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.

Following the shooting, US President Donald Trump expressed his condolences to the people of France and said, "e have to be strong and we have to be vigilant." Trump later expressed his belief on Twitter that the attack would have "a big effect" on the French presidential election.

Other world leaders, including Angela Merkel and the United Kingdom government, issued statements in reaction to the shooting.

References

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2. ^ "Paris shooting: Police officers shot at Champs Elysees days out from French elections". News.com.au. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
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4. Jarry, Emmanuel; White, Sarah (20 April 2017). "France arrests men suspected of planning attack ahead of elections". Reuters. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
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16. Blaise, Lillia (21 April 2017). "Xavier Jugelé, 37, Officer Killed in Paris, Was Defender of Gay Rights". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
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18. ^ Smith-Spark, Laura; Vandoorne, Saskya; Sanchez, Ray (21 April 2017). "Paris shooting casts shadow over final day of French election campaign". CNN. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
19. ^ Breeden, Aurelien; Nossiter, Adam (21 April 2017). "Trump Says Paris Attack Will Have 'Big Effect' on French Election". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
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21. ^ "Paris Champs Elysees attack gunman named as Karim Cheurfi". BBC. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
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32. @AFP (20 April 2017). "#BREAKING Terror suspect sought by France in wake of Champs-Elysees attack has turned himself in to Belgian police" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
33. "Antwerpenaar schreeuwt onschuld uit: "Niets met Parijs te maken, ben gewoon op mijn werk"" [Man from Antwerp claims innocence: "Nothing to do with Paris, I was at work"] (in Dutch). Nieuwsblad.be. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
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• Crime
• France

• Current events from April 2017
• 2017 in Paris
• April 2017 crimes in Europe
• April 2017 events in France
• Champs-Élysées
• Crime in Paris
• Deaths by firearm in France
• Islamic terrorism in Europe
• ISIL terrorist incidents in France
• Islamic terrorist incidents in the 2010s
• Mass shootings
• Murder in 2017
• Murder in France
• Police officers killed in the line of duty
• Terrorist incidents in France in 2017
• Terrorist incidents in Paris