ISIS Claims "Fighter" Carried Out Paris Shooting Attack
ISIS issued a statement, saying an Islamic State “fighter” carried out an attack tonight on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
A man who shot a Parisian police officer to death on the Champs-Elysees Thursday night was known to French security services for radical Islamist activities, a source close to the investigation told CNN.
The suspect, who was shot dead by French police, was the subject of a "Fiche S" surveillance file and was on the radar of the French domestic security service DGSI, the source said.
The source said French investigators now believe this was in all likelihood a terrorist attack. They believe there was just one attacker, and the danger is likely over, the source said.
The shooting happened about 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) when a car stopped at 102 Champs-Elysees in front of a police van, Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre Henry Brandet said.
A man emerged from the car and opened fire on the van with an "automatic weapon," killing one officer instantly, he said. The man "then ran away, managing to shoot and wound two other policemen. Other policemen engaged and shot and killed the attacker," Brandet said.
The shooting shut down the Champs-Elysees, an area normally teeming with tourists, and comes three days before French voters start elections for a new president.
Security has been tight in France because of the vote. Just two days ago French authorities arrested two men in Marseille who were allegedly planning an attack in a run-up to the election.
Culled from CNN
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