Car of peace injures six soldiers in Paris
https://www.rt.com/news/399040-paris-police-vehicle-injured/
>At least six French soldiers were injured, three of them seriously, after being hit by a vehicle in a Paris suburb, French Armed forces confirmed, adding that a police operation is underway in the area.
>The incident took place in Levallois-Perret commune in northwestern suburb of Paris, some 6 km from the capital, local police prefecture said on Twitter.
>“Police are everywhere, [they] set up a security perimeter and the neighbors are questioned,” one local told Le Parisien newspaper.
>“Incident in Levallois Perret: police operation underway. [Police are] searching for a vehicle,” the statement said.
>According to French media, the vehicle hit several soldiers from Operation Sentinelle, a French military operation deployed in the aftermath of the 2015 terrorist attacks.
Franceinfo spoke to the mayor of Levallois-Perret, who condemned the possible attack against military personnel in the commune. He said that the incident took place not far from the town hall.
>“I find this shameful,” Levallois-Perret Mayor Patrick Balkany said, calling the incident an “intolerable aggression.”
> Une tentative d'attentat a eu lieu. 6 blessés. Dispositif police sur place. >#Levalloispic.twitter.com/V0zxyP9Jjp
> — Clément Lanot (@ClementLanot) >August 9, 2017
>"Without any doubt, it was a deliberate act," Balkany later told BFMTV.
>According to BFMTV, the vehicle , identified as BMW, was driven by a man.
>The mayor of Paris has expressed her support for the six injured soldiers, wishing them a quick recovery.
> Tout mon soutien aux 6 militaires de >#Sentinelle blessés à #LevalloisPerret. >J'espère de tout cœur que leur agresseur sera vite interpellé.
> — Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) August 9, 2017
>Minister for the Armed Forces Florence Parly condemned the incident as a “cowardly act,”saying that the investigation is yet to determine the motives of the attacker.
>The counter-terrorism unit of the Paris prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the incident, AFP reports, citing the prosecutor’s office.
>One woman said that she saw a large number of police and emergency services vehicles arriving at the scene. “We saw injured [soldiers] being transported to the ambulance,” she added.
>“I heard a loud sound, shouts. Me and my wife rushed [outside] and then learned what happened,” one man who lives in the neighborhood told Ruptly.
>READ MORE: Terrorist attack potential ‘very high’ as 271 ISIS jihadists return to France – interior minister
>France declared a state of emergency following attacks in Paris in November 2015, in which over 130 people killed. It was re-extended on several occasions. The current iteration was extended earlier in July and will last until November 1.
>In July, the French Senate greenlighted a controversial counter-terrorism bill which would make the measures introduced during the two-year state of emergency permanent. It is yet to be signed into law by President Emmanuel Macron, who initially introduced it to parliament.