A police officer was attacked with knives on Monday, November 8 in front of the central police station in Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes). His assailant is an Algerian national. Neutralized by colleagues of the attacked policeman, “he is between life and death at the Cannes hospital”, announced Gérald Darmanin on site.
>> DIRECT. Cannes: the suspect had “no criminal record” and was unknown to the intelligence services, announces Gérald Darmanin
An Algerian national from Italy
The suspect is an Algerian national, who has “between 35 and 40 years”, said the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, who came to Cannes to support the police. Arrived in Italy via Sardinia in 2008, he settled in Naples in 2011 where he became a traveling merchant, a source close to franceinfo told us. It was there that he obtained an indefinite residence permit in Italy. According to the same source, he had been making regular trips back and forth between France and Italy since 2016.
A request for a residence permit in progress
The man had been back in France for about twenty days. He applied for a residence permit in Cannes on October 21. He therefore had in his possession a receipt from the prefecture which was studying his request, said Gerald Darmanin on Monday. It was “in order on the national territory” but the residence permit had not yet been granted to him, specified the Minister of the Interior.
A clean criminal record
The man is unknown to the police. He has no criminal record and is not registered in any of the radicalization files, added Gérald Darmanin. At the time of the attack, the assailant mentioned “the Prophet”, but the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (Pnat) has not, for the time being, been seized. The Pnat “remain an observer”, confirmed the Minister of the Interior.
What happened ?
The facts took place around 6:30 am Monday, November 8, in front of the central police station in Cannes, about 500 m from the Palais des Festivals and the Croisette. “Four policemen were about to take up their duty, when a man came to ask them for information. Once the door opened, the assailant attacked a first policeman with a knife, inflicting severe blows on him. stomach”, reported Gérald Darmanin. “Fortunately his bulletproof vest saved him “. This policeman “is extremely psychologically shocked but not physically affected”, specified the minister. According to David Lisnard LR mayor of Cannes, “These are two police officers who took stab wounds and were saved by their bulletproof vests, a young police officer and the police officer in charge of the crew. The police officer was stabbed in the back. a lot of violence, with the will to kill them “, declared the elected on franceinfo. Seriously hit by the fire of a colleague of the targeted police officer, the assailant “is between life and death at Cannes hospital”, said the Minister of the Interior.