The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the terror attack on Paris’ iconic Champs-Elysees that killed one police officer and injured two others. An attacker with an automatic weapon opened fire on police. The assailant was identified as Abu Yousif, the Belgian.
The attacker targeted officers guarding the area near the Franklin Roosevelt subway station at the center of the shopping avenue popular among tourists, said Paris police spokeswoman Johanna Primevert to The Associated Press.
Post the incident, the area was sealed off by Police and soldiers. Counter-terrorism investigators are involved in the investigation.
The attack was executed just three days before the first round of balloting in France for presidential election. Security is high before the polls after police said they detained two men in what they described as a thwarted terror attack.
In Thursday’s attack, reportedly, a man came out of a car and started firing on a police vehicle. The Paris prosecutor’s office said the police were ‘deliberately’ targeted.
