World

France Launches ‘Attempted Murder’ Investigation After Petrol Bombs Hit Police

By Al Jazeera Staff

Prosecutors in France have opened an investigation for attempted murder following petrol bombs thrown at security forces during Saturday’s protests in Paris. The probe was announced after the Paris police prefecture reported that several hundred rioters had attacked officers with projectiles, including a Molotov cocktail. Video footage showed a homemade incendiary device exploding at the feet of a security officer in protective gear, engulfing his lower body in flames. Prosecutors said the investigation concerns “attempted murder of persons vested with public authority” and that explosive devices were thrown at around 15 gendarmes and police officers. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the violence as “extraordinary”. An assessment of the injured is ongoing; reported injuries include second‑degree burns. No suspects have been arrested yet. A gendarme who was struck said his unit was “under assault” with glass bottles, paving stones, shards of glass and firebombs. He described the flammable substance as greasy and felt it spreading across his skin. The officer, who suffered minor injuries, noted that the leg and shin protections on his riot uniform melted. The gendarmerie said 13 members of the officer’s unit were injured. The prosecutor’s office confirmed that investigators are working to identify those responsible. The interior ministry said more than 770 people were arrested across France, and 159 law‑enforcement officers were injured during protests and Halloween celebrations. The protests come amid a tense political climate, with presidential elections six months away and far‑right frontrunner Marine Le Pen pledging to restore law and order if elected. Le Pen said on X that those responsible for the firebomb attack must be “punished with the utmost severity.”