Dramatic video captures French police shooting dead terrorist who killed officer and wounded two others just days before French election - as it's revealed he was released EARLY from 20 year sentence for trying to kill cops
- One policeman was killed on Thursday evening after being 'targeted' on the Champs Elysees in central Paris
- The attacker was eventually shot dead after French police officers rushed to the scene in the heart of the city
- The fatal shooting on the world famous avenue took place as French presidential candidates debated nearby
A policeman was shot dead while two other officers were seriously injured by a Kalashnikov-wielding gunman on the Champs Elysees in central Paris - just three days before the French presidential election.
The alleged ISIS gunman, identified as 39-year-old Karim C - who was jailed for 20 years for trying to kill officers in 2001 - parked his Audi and opened fire after police stopped at a red light on the world famous avenue.
French police said the attack was probably a 'terrorist act' and dramatic video footage captured the moment police shot at the assailant, who later died.
Police have now launched a desperate manhunt for a second suspect after heavily armed officers flooded the area in the heart of the French capital.
Officers have been searching the home of the alleged shooter - who was known to security services and had been flagged as an 'extremist' - in east Paris and he had previously said that he 'wanted to kill police'.
The fatal incident unfolded as presidential candidates, including National Front party leader Marine Le Pen, debated on a TV show nearby before Sunday's election.
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A French police officer has been shot dead on the Champs Elysees in Paris (pictured) - just as presidential candidates took part in a TV debate nearby
People held their hands up as they walked towards officers close to the scene where a policeman was fatally shot in Paris
Police closed off the popular avenue (pictured) after a policeman was killed during a shooting incident in the French capital
People were seen running away from the area after Thursday night's attack, which has been described as being 'terrorist related'
French police officers and forensic teams searched a vehicle which was close to the scene on the Champs Elysees in Paris
The fatal shooting took place as French presidential candidates, including National Front party leader Marine Le Pen (pictured), took part in a debate nearby
French presidential election candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon (pictured) took part in the TV show just days before the election
French newspaper Le Parisien named the attacker as Karim C, who used the alias 'Abu Yousuf the Belgian', and reportedly made threats to kill police using the social media app Telegram, an instant messaging service.
Karim was born in France and lived in Chelles, a commuter town close to Paris and was jailed for the 2001 attack - but is believed to have been released early in 2016.
The gunman has been identified by police but they will not officially reveal his name until investigators determine whether he had accomplices, according to the Paris prosecutor.
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Francois Molins said: 'The identity of the attacker is known and has been checked. I will not give it because investigations with raids are ongoing.
'The investigators want to be sure whether he had or did not have accomplices.'
The Interior Ministry spokesman said the officers were deliberately targeted and the police union added that the policeman was killed while sat in a car at a red light.
US President Donald Trump said: 'It looks like another terrorist attack. What can you say? It never ends.'
The attack which took place on the Champs Elysees (pictured) comes just three days before the first round of balloting in France's tense presidential election
A French police officer stood guard on the Champs Elysees in central Paris following the fatal shooting, which has been described as 'terrorist related'
Police officers secured the area after a gunman got of an Audi vehicle and targeted officers by firing an automatic gun towards them
Armed police officers stood guard after they rushed to the scene in the centre of the capital following the incident which left frightened witnesses sprinting for their lives
A man and a woman put their hands in the air as armed officers stood just yards away from them following the incident in the city
Officers searched the home of the suspected gunman on Thursday evening after they travelled to his home in the east part of the capital
Police officers searched the home of the suspected gunman in east Paris following the attack in the capital on Thursday
The Audi which is believed to belong to the attacker was taken away from the scene on the back of a lorry as police rushed to the popular avenue
Forensic experts and police officers were seen examining evidence from a van on the Champs Elysees in central Paris
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack and dramatic video footage showed the immediate aftermath of the incident which left one policeman dead.
In the video, posted on Twitter, several figures can be seen moving around next to a police van on the Champs Elysees.
One of the figures then appeared to fall to the ground and a silver car - believed to have been used by the suspects - can be seen parked next to the van.
Police have issued an arrest warrant for a second suspect - a man understood to have arrived in France by train from Belgium.
French President Francois Hollande said the attack was 'terrorist related' and scheduled an emergency meeting following the shootings on Thursday evening. French prosecutors have opened a terrorism investigation.
Mr Hollande said a national tribute will be paid to the policeman and added that a 'passerby was hit' before the 'assailant was neutralised'.
Police officers quickly secured the area - which is popular with tourists and Parisians - after the attack and the road was on lockdown by 9pm
Police officers took positions near the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris after the gunman - who was known to the security services - launched the attack
An armed soldier spoke to a man a told him to leave the area following the fatal shooting close to the Arc de Triomphe (pictured)
French soldiers secure the Champs Elysees Avenue after a police officer was killed when a gunman opened fire in Paris
French police officers searched the area after some of their colleagues were shot in the heart of Paris on Thursday evening
French President Francois Hollande (pictured) said the attack was 'terrorist related' and scheduled an emergency meeting following the shootings
Presidential candidates Marine Le Pen and Francois Fillon announced that they have both cancelled their campaigning on Friday.
Pierre-Henry Brandet, spokesman for France's Interior Ministry, confirmed that one police officer was dead and two were seriously wounded following the 'targeted attack'.
He said a 'car pulled up just after 9pm' next to a police patrol car which was parked up on the busy avenue.
A man jumped out with a Kalashnikov and started firing indiscriminately into the police vehicle and hit the unidentified officer who died.
The assailant then ran off, pursued by other officers. Two of them were wounded as they killed him.
Mr Brandet said 'all lines of investigation were being pursued', while intelligence sources said the dead assailant was a known radical on a so-called S-file, for 'State-security'.
This means he would have been under surveillance, because he was a known risk to the country.
An eyewitness, called Chelloug, said: 'It was a terrorist. He came out with a Kalashnikov and started shooting, but he could've shot us on the pavement and killed more people with a spray of shots - but he targetted the policemen and fortunately there were the policemen who killed him.'
Another witness said: 'I saw someone shoot at the police officers. They returned fire, they killed him, he fell on the floor. And then the emergency services came.
'It took place by Zara and there was a CRS (Republican Security Companies) van parked up and the man shot the police officers. He took out a weapon and shot them.
'I think the police officer was killed on the spot and his colleagues fired back and killed the individual.'
FILLON CALLS FOR ELECTION CAMPAIGNING TO BE HALTED FOLLOWING DEADLY PARIS TERROR ATTACK
French presidential candidate Francois Fillon has called for the election campaign to be suspended following this evening's attack in Paris.
A terror probe has been opened, and French President Francois Hollande will tomorrow hold a security cabinet meeting.
The French public are set to go to the polls on Sunday, and the attack happened as candidates went head-to-head in a television debate.
Francois Fillon has called for election campaigning to be suspended following this evening's attack in Paris
Both Fillon and National Front leader Marine Le Pen have cancelled scheduled events tomorrow following the attack.
All candidates involved in the race to become the next French head of state have expressed their horror at the attack.
The latest attack in the heart of Paris so close to an election could send voters flocking to far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Sunday, experts believe.
The National Front leader this evening said the terror threat facing France stemmed from 'laxity', and within minutes of the attack tweeted her solidarity with security forces.
The populist French candidate said the terror threat facing the country was a result of 'laxity' in a television debate tonight
A poll earlier this week found that more than half of French police officers plan to cast their vote for the populist anti-immigration politician at the weekend.
In a televised debate last night, she said: 'We are suffering the consequences of a laxity that has continued for years.'
A study released earlier this week revealed that 51 per cent of French police officers plan to vote for Le Pen in the upcoming polls.
The poll by IFOP found that 65 per cent of frontline officers would support her in the election.
Following the attack, which is believed to have claimed the lives of two police officers, social media users suggested Le Pen could have the most to gain from the attack.
Armed police officers were quick on the scene and closed the world famous avenue following the incident which shocked the city
The world famous was shut at around 9pm and it is believed police are still searching for a second suspect in relation to the attack
Police officers blocked the access of a street near the Champs Elysees in Paris after the fatal shooting on Thursday, April 20
Officers were wearing vests and helmets as they patrolled the area close to where the fatal shooting took. A 39-year-old man is believed to be responsible for the shooting
The world famous street was put on lockdown by 9pm and officers guarded the area in central Paris (pictured, the Eiffel Tower in the background)
A policeman attended the scene and was armed with a gun following the incident. Police have reportedly issued a warrant for a second attacker
The attack comes just three days before the first round of balloting in France's tense presidential election.
A witness, identified only as Ines, told BFM that she heard a shooting, saw a man's body on the ground and the area was quickly evacuated by police.
It comes just two days after police arrested two men in southern Marseille with weapons and explosives who were suspected of preparing an attack to disrupt the first-round of the presidential election on Sunday.
France is in a state of emergency and at its highest possible level of alert since a string of terror attacks that began in 2015, which have killed over 230 people.
Thousands of troops and armed police have been deployed to guard tourist hotspots such as the Champs Elysees or other potential targets like government buildings and religious sites.
Up until now, polls showed voters more concerned about unemployment and their spending power than terrorism or security, though analysts warned this would change in the event of further bloodshed.
For weeks, centrist former banker Macron and National Front (FN) leader Marine Le Pen have been out in front but opinion polls now show there is a chance that any of the four leading candidates could reach the second-round runoff on May 7.
Scandal-plagued conservative Francois Fillon and far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon have closed the gap substantially in the last two weeks.
The UK Foreign Office said: 'The British Embassy is in contact with local authorities and urgently seeking further information following reports of a shooting incident on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
'You should remain vigilant and follow the advice of the local security authorities and/or your tour operator.
'If you're in the area and it is safe to do so, contact your friends and family to tell them you are safe.'
Masked police officers were photographed standing on top of a vehicle on the Champs Elysees following an incident which left one officer dead
French police officers reacted after the shooting which left one officer dead and two more seriously injured in Paris
French soldiers were armed with guns (pictured) and stood guard at the Arc de Triomphe near the Champs Elysees in Paris
Heavily armed officers had flooded the area following the gunshots which were heard in a busy part of the French capital
Reports have suggested that two police officers have been killed on the Champs Elysees in central Paris (pictured) this evening
It was originally believed the other officer was seriously wounded while the attacker was killed on the world famous avenue (pictured)
The incident on Thursday comes as France remains in a state of emergency following the Paris attacks in 2015 and the Bastille Day killings in Nice in 2016.
The shooting comes just hours after one of the busiest roads in Paris was closed off by police as officers dealt with a 'suspicious package'.
Reports suggested that items were discovered by officers as Rue de Rivoli remained shut. Stunned witnesses described seeing a large police presence on the two-mile-long road.
Rue de Rivoli is a busy commercial street just north of the River Seine which is home to some of the most fashionable shops in the world.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4429938/Major-road-Paris-closed-police.html#ixzz4eqPRCk2L
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