Two police officers from the Ile-de-France networks opened fire on Monday morning on a man who threatened them with a knife inside the Gare du Nord, learns 20 minutes from consistent sources. Hit several times, the victim was taken care of by the Samu before succumbing to his injuries. Contacted by 20 minutes, the Paris prosecutor’s office indicates that it has opened an investigation into the head of attempted voluntary homicide, entrusted to the 2nd district of the judicial police. The IGPN – the police force – was also seized to determine the conditions for the use of weapons by civil servants.
#North Station pic.twitter.com/b9SbdYbHSJ
— Tristan Baudenaille (@TristanBdnl) February 14, 2022
The facts occurred around 6:50 a.m., in the hall of the station where the trains serving distant destinations are located. According to our information, the suspect was walking towards a patrol made up of three police officers, a lieutenant, a brigadier and a major. A man approached them with a 30 cm long knife in his hand, threatening them. On the handle, an inscription: “ACAB” for “All cops are bastards” – “all cops are bastards”. After asking the suspect several times to drop his weapon, two of the officers opened fire on him, seriously injuring him. Taken care of by the Samu, he died of his injuries.
Disturbing messages on Twitter
According to our information, an identity card was found in the lining of his jacket. Aged 31 and from Belfort (Territoire de Belfort), Stéphane B. is unknown to the police and justice services. Why did he want to attack the police? If his motivations remain to be determined, the first elements of the investigation made it possible to dismiss the terrorist track. On Twitter, an account in his name had published, on January 2, this disturbing message: “The right of secession is protected by French constitutional law. I have the legal right to kill French policemen. I don’t want it for personal reasons. I intend to rebuild my life in Russia, a country of the future. »
The author of the messages also shared a Wikipedia article on “electromagnetic harassment”. He also expressed his disappointment at not having been listened to by the police officers to whom he had informed of the harassment of which he was allegedly the victim. “When I went to the police station to talk about my phone harassment, I was told it was science fiction! “, he wrote, always at the beginning of January. This man also described himself as having been “severely mentally handicapped” but claimed to be “now perfectly healthy”.
Security perimeter
None of the officers threatened by the suspect were injured. On Twitter, the prefect of police, Didier Lallement, praised “the courage of the police who, at the Gare du Nord, knew how to react with cold blood to a cowardly attack”. A security perimeter has been set up inside the station between tracks 11 and 16. Traffic has been temporarily interrupted. But train traffic is no longer impacted, SNCF said on Twitter.