Gendarme describes 'sophisticated' incendiary device used to set him alight in Paris
Investigators are searching for the suspects behind an attack on a National Gendarmerie unit during nationwide protests.
By Bianca Herrera ·
French prosecutors have opened an attempted murder investigation into a petrol bomb thrown at a police officer in Paris on Saturday. The decision follows the release of an image showing a gendarme with his leg on fire during a clash with demonstrators.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the act as a murder attempt. He stated that officers are working to identify the individuals responsible for the attack.
The injured officer, who suffered burns to his ankle and minor injuries to his hand, spoke to Le Figaro about the incident. He described the device as particularly sophisticated. He noted that the incendiary device had a much greater burning capacity than a standard Molotov cocktail. Police have not yet identified the specific liquid used inside the container.
The officer said his unit suddenly faced several hundred hostile adversaries. He emphasized that these were not typical protesters but individuals with the intent to harm state representatives. Fourteen other officers from his unit were also wounded during the confrontation. Some were struck by paving stones. The unit had been recalled from leave to help police the weekend demonstrations.
More than 770 people were arrested across France on Saturday, according to the French interior ministry. This figure is roughly half the number of arrests from the previous week. Police deployed thousands of officers nationwide and used tear gas in several cities.
Despite the investigation, police said no one had been arrested specifically for the attack caught on camera, according to AFP. The protests are part of a broader movement of youth-led demonstrations that began in late September. Participants are demanding action on the high cost of living and poor public services, particularly in schools.
French protest organizers, the Gilets Jaunes, reported that dozens of protesters were seriously injured in recent demonstrations. Many were hurt by grenades. France suspended one type of stun grenade in early October after a 15-year-old lost a hand, but Le Monde reported that police continued using a different model afterward.
