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Europe

France charges three over supermarket terror attack

2018-10-21

[IsraelTimes] Four people were killed in March when Redouane Lakdim went on a shooting spree and took hostages, including a police officer who traded himself for a hostage. Three people have been charged in La Belle France on Saturday over an Islamic terrorist’s shooting rampage and supermarket hostage-taking earlier this year. French regional media reported that the three are suspected of providing help to assailant Redouane Lakdim ...the Moroccan-French known wolf who shot up a Carcassonne grocery store in the name of ISIS. It seems the French cleverly granted him citizenship shortly before his eruption despite being on their ‘Fiche S’ terror watch list. He is also in our archive as Radouane Lakdim... before his March attack in Carcassonne and the nearby town of Trebes. Four people were killed, including a police officer who traded himself for a hostage. A judicial official said Saturday that the three were charged with criminal association with terrorists, and one was also accused of possessing arms in connection with a terrorist enterprise. Golly. How many of them are also known wolves? They were among six people nabbed Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! in raids this week. The other three were released. It was unclear why the arrests occurred so long after the attack. Stop criticizing, O Reporter. The French security forces are overwhelmed by the sheer number of radicalized Moslem colonists they have to keep track of, which is why they are forever having to explain why the latest spree killer fell off their radar. If only France’s politicians would allow them to do the job as they are capable of doing it! In March, three people were killed in a shooting spree and hostage siege in southern La Belle France when Lakdim carried out three separate attacks in the medieval town of Carcassonne and nearby Trebes. The four-hour drama began when Lakdim hijacked a car near the town of Carcassonne, killing one person inside and wounding another. He then went to a supermarket in Trebes, shooting and killing two people in the market and taking hostages. He shouted "holy shit! Allahu akbar!" ‐ the Arabic phrase for "God is great" ‐ and said he was a "soldier of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... Special police units converged on the scene, and Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame was among a group of officers who rushed inside the supermarket. He offered to take the place of a woman being held as a final hostage by Lakdim. Unbeknownst to Lakdim, Beltrame left his cellphone on so police outside could hear what was happening in the store. They stormed the building when they heard gunshots, officials said. Beltrame was fatally maimed. French President Emmanuel Macron had attended Beltrame’s funeral and said the officer had "died a hero" who deserved "the respect and admiration of the whole nation."

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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

In Maps: The parts of France most at risk from disastrous floods

2018-10-20

[The Local fr] As France reels from deadly floods in recent days, we look which parts of France are most at risk of suffering a similar disaster and the small number of towns and villages that have never experienced a natural disaster. Every year in France devastating floods destroy homes and more often that not claim lives. Only this week, flash floods killed 14 people in towns and villages around Carcassonne in southern France. Following those floods the French government declared a state of natural disaster for some 126 communes around Carcassonne. The state of natural disaster (Etat de catastrophe naturelle) is a special procedure set up in France in 1982 so the victims of exceptional natural events, such as flooding, as well as drought, can be adequately compensated for damage to property.

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Europe

ISIS killer carried out supermarket rampage after he was summoned to meet anti-terror cops

2018-03-28

[DailyMail] The ISIS gunman who killed four people in La Belle France last week had been summoned to meet anti-terror police shortly before his shooting rampage, it has emerged. Radouane Lakdim, a Moroccan-born French national, had been on a list of suspected bandidos snuffies since 2014 and was being monitored, sparking criticism of the country's security services. The 25-year-old killed four people and injured four others on Friday in three separate shootings in the towns of Carcassonne and Trebes, where he took hostages at a supermarket before being rubbed out by police. A police source has since revealed Lakdim had been sent a letter in March asking him to arrange a face-to-face meeting with agents from La Belle France's domestic intelligence agency DGSI. Since the violence on Friday, police have placed in durance vile Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! Lakdim's 18-year-old girlfriend, a radicalised Moslem convert, as well as a 17-year-old friend. A French prosecutor said yesterday that the girlfriend is a radicalised convert to Islam and that she shouted 'holy shit! Allahu akbar' or 'God is Great', when she was arrested. The woman told Sherlocks that she converted to Islam when she was 16. She denied 'having been informed and associated with the deadly project of her boyfriend,' Gay Paree Prosecutor Francois Molins said during a news conference. But Molins said the girl posted online a Koran verse 'indicating that infidels were promised to hell' just a few hours before the attacks. Molins said Lakdim had been listed on a police register for radicalized people since 2014 because of its suspected links with the local Salafist circles. He was still under an ongoing and effective intelligence monitoring in the days leading up to the attacks, the prosecutor said. But the surveillance didn't allow police to detect any warning signs that he was going to commit a violent action or any intention to go to Iraq or Syria, Molins said. When he was tossed in the calaboose Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! in 2016, the prison administration noticed no visible sign of radicalisation.

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Europe

'Wore a beard, didn't have a job': What we know about the 'IS-linked' French gunman

2018-03-25

[DAWN] The gunman who killed three people in southwest La Belle France on Friday before being rubbed out by police was a 25-year-old small-time drug pusher with a history of minor crimes. The rap sheet against Radouane Lakdim, a French citizen born in Morocco according to sources close to the inquiry, eventually drew deeper scrutiny by Sherlocks worried he was at risk of radicalisation. In the summer of 2014, Lakdim, who lived in Carcassonne, was put on a watchlist of people considered possible holy warriors. "He was added to the list because of his radicalisation and his links with the Salafist movement," Francois Molins, La Belle France's top anti-terror prosecutor, said at a presser in Carcassonne. He was found guilty of carrying a prohibited weapon in 2011 and later for drug use and refusing a court order in 2015, Molins said. In 2016, then in 2017, he was the subject of an investigation by intelligence services, "which did not bring to light any sign that would indicate he would carry out a terrorist act," he added. But when entering the Super U supermarket in nearby Trebes on Friday, Lakdim declared he was ready to die for Syria, and demanded the freedom for his brothers before shooting and killing a client and an employee. "He was just a regular kid, from a simple and regular family. He wore a beard and didn't have a job," a neighbour told AFP, asking to remain anonymous. Le Gay Pareeien newspaper reported that Lakdim lived with his parents, and quoted a neighbour saying he had dropped off a little sister at school on Friday morning. French police find IS notes in home of attacker [Ynet] A judicial official says French police searching the home of the man responsible for a deadly rampage in southern La Belle France have found notes referring to the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group that appeared to be a final testament. Also found in the search of the home were a computer and telephone, the official said Saturday, a day after the attack. He was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and couldn't be named. Police searched the home of Moroccan-born Redouane Lakdim, 25, after Friday's attack that killed four people‐two in a supermarket near the southern city of Carcassonne where the attacker was killed in an assault. The fourth victim, a gendarme who stood in for a female hostage and was shot, died early Saturday. The official says there apparently was no mention in the notes of the attack plans.

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Europe

France hostage-taker Redouane Lakdim was killed, Interior Minister

2018-03-24

A summary of yesterday’s events. [ARABNEWS] La Belle France’s interior minister confirmed the death of the hostage taker at the supermarket in Carcassonne. The man who killed at least three people in attacks in southern La Belle France was a 26-year old known for petty crimes and possession of drugs, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told news hounds, adding that he acted alone. Collomb named the attacker as Redouane Lakdim and said he was from nearby Carcassonne, where the attacks started. "He was known for petty crimes. We had monitored him and thought there was no radicalisation," Collomb said. Emanuel Macron on a trip to Brussels said that his country is still facing high levels of terror threat. Macron confirmed that the terror attack has killed 3 and injured 16. Police have jugged Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! a woman connected to Lakdim, a French prosecutor said. Earlier the police launched a raid on a supermarket in southern La Belle France after two people were killed in the attack and three were maimed by a gunman who was screaming "Allahu Akbar". The gunman then fired shots at the police and took hostages in a supermarket in southwestern La Belle France. A source at the Interior Ministry said three had died. "It is a temporary assessment as it could unfortunately get worse. Three people are maimed, including one of them seriously," the source said. The station reported that the hostage-taker has claimed allegiance to ISIS and that he has demanded the release of Salah Abdeslam - the prime surviving suspect in the ISIS attacks that killed 130 people in Gay Paree in 2015. More than 240 people have been killed in La Belle France in attacks since 2015 by assailants who pledged allegiance to, or were inspired by, ISIS. The man first shot at four coppers in the historic town of Carcassonne before barricading himself in the Super-U supermarket in Trebes, about 8 km (5 miles) to the east. A police union official said the attacker had killed one person with bullet in the head in Carcassonne before the hostage-taking. The French policeman shot by Redouane Lakdim after swapping himself for a hostage in the siege at a supermarket in southwest La Belle France is "fighting for his life," President Emmanuel Macron said. "He saved lives and honored his colleagues and his country," Macron said in a televised address, adding that the officer was "very seriously maimed." Arnaud Beltrame, 45, was among a group of officers who rushed to the scene in the town of Trebes after the attacker, who claimed allegiance to the ISIS group, stormed the store and fired on shoppers and staff before taking them hostage. "He is currently fighting for his life and all our thoughts go out to him and his family," Macron said.

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Europe

France supermarket hostage-taking: At least two killed by Trebes known wolf gunman claiming allegiance to ISIS

2018-03-23

The Telegraph is live blogging events. The latest as of 1:16pm Greenwich Mean Time, two hours after the gunman burst into the supermarket: Gunman takes hostages at supermarket in Trebes, France Police have the supermarket surrounded At least two people killed and a dozen more wounded Attacker reported to be Moroccan national in his 30s Gunman 'shouted Allahu Akbar' and 'said he supported Isil' is said to have demanded release of 2015 Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam Shortly before, police officer shot in nearby Carcassonne French Prime Minister: We believe this is a terrorist act Update at 9:50 a,m, EDT: Gunman shot motorist in head before stealing car to drive to supermarket Police have found a body in bushes in Carcassonne and another man there who suffered bullet wounds is being treated in hospital, local media reported. The gunman is believed to have shot a motorist in the head - and also injured the passenger - before stealing the car to drive to the Trebes supermarket. Bruno Bartocetti, the regional representative of the SGP police union, said the Carcassonne attacker is believed to the same person who has taken hostages in Trebes. Local media report that the Trebes attacker is a Moroccan man who lived in Carcassonne. Police confirmed at least two people - thought to be a shop worker and customer - have been killed and a dozen more injured. Around 50 people fled the supermarket, but a police chief warned the casualty toll is likely to rise, saying: "We are unfortunately expecting to find more victims." Shortly beforehand, a police officer jogging with colleagues in the city of Carcassonne, around a 15-minute drive away, was shot and injured. The same gunman is believed to have then shot a driver in the head, before stealing their vehicle to drive to Trebes to carry out the attack. The operation to capture the holed-up attacker was ongoing on Friday afternoon. He is believed to be alone with one police officer in the store. The man "entered the Super U supermarket at around 11.15am and shots were heard," a French security source said. He is said to have been armed with a gun, knives and a hand grenade. Daily Mail has photos and adds: Police storm French supermarket and shoot dead ISIS gunman Update at 11:35: The man who killed at least three people in attacks in southern France was a 26-year old known for petty crimes and possession of drugs, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told reporters, adding that he acted alone. Collomb named the attacker as Redouane Lakdim and said he was from nearby Carcassonne, where the attacks started. "He was known for petty crimes. We had monitored him and thought there was no radicalisation," Collomb said. And The Daily News provides a useful timeline of events: Morning, Friday March 23: Lakdim, who reportedly lived with his mother and three or four sisters in Carcassonne, is seen walking his little sister to school Some time before 11am: Lakdim hijacks a car somewhere in his home town. A passenger in the vehicle is shot in the head and killed while the driver is wounded before the terrorist drives away. Approximately 11am: The attacker opens fire on four policemen jogging near the edge of town. One officer is wounded after being hit in the shoulder. Bullets also strike a nearby car, shattering the back window. Lakdim escapes in the stolen vehicle. Approximately 11.15am: Gunshots are reported at a Super U supermarket in the town of Trebes as Lakdim storms in, taking hostages. Two people are later shot dead, though it is unclear precisely when or why. French police initially say a dozen people are wounded, though uncertainty remained around the exact toll on Friday afternoon. Some time before 2pm: A French policeman makes his way into the supermarket after agreeing to swap himself for a hostage. He is later wounded, though it is not clear exactly how. Approximately 2pm: French police storm the supermarket, shooting Lakdim dead.

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Europe

French army chief resigns over shooting

2008-07-01

The French army chief of staff, Gen Bruno Cuche, has resigned two days after a soldier injured 17 people at a military show. Gen Cuche offered his resignation on Tuesday to President Nicolas Sarkozy who accepted it. The soldier used real bullets instead of blanks at the public demonstration at a barracks in south-western France. Four people, including a child, were seriously injured in the incident. They are now said to be out of danger. On Monday, President Sarkozy, who visited the wounded in hospital, said he would seek explanations from the whole chain of command over the incident. Earlier, Defence Minister Herve Morin called for 'immediate sanctions... without waiting for the conclusions of the judicial and military enquiries'. The resignation is a measure of how seriously the French government, and in particular President Sarkozy, is taking this extraordinary breach of safety procedures, says a BBC correspondent in Paris. The shooting occurred during a public demonstration of hostage-freeing techniques at a barracks in Carcassonne, in the Aude region. The sergeant who fired the shots is being held in custody and is expected to be charged on Tuesday with causing unintentional injury. It is now thought he had held on to some live ammunition from a previous exercise in breach of regulations and mistakenly loaded them into his assault rifle during the display. Questions are also being asked about the organisation of the event, in which an actor posing as a terrorist was positioned among the public that meant that the soldier was firing straight into the crowd.

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Europe

2 mosques vandalized in France

2006-09-25

Vandals scrawled swastikas and racist slogans on the walls of two mosques in France and set fire to one of them on Sunday, the day French Muslims started celebrating Ramadan. In the town of Quimper in western France, 6 swastikas were painted in green on the walls of the Penhars Mosque. Local government official Philippe Paolantoni said a neighbour spotted the fire inside the mosque at around 4 a.m. and firefighters were called to the scene. "The community is well known and well integrated," he said, adding that several dozen people regularly attended prayers in the mosque. French television and radio reported that racial insults and swastikas were also scrawled on the walls of a mosque in Carcassonne in southern France. The Movement against Racism (MRAP) condemned the attacks and said they were a consequence of a link that was increasingly being made between Islam and terrorism, gee, why would that happen? as well as talk of the "Islamisation" of France by far-right politicians in the run up to next year's presidential election. "MRAP plans to take legal action over this Islamophobe act," the group said in a statement. "It calls once again for more vigilance and a significant mobilisation to stamp out this worrying increase of racism against Arabs and Muslims." The Quimper mosque had already had been vandalised several times since it was built in February 2003. Five million Muslims live in France, the largest Muslim minority in Europe. I don't condone the violence and especially not the racism. But it is disingenuous to pretent that the link between Islam and terrorism is being "made" rather than "observed".

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Home Front: Culture Wars

French wine rebels employ brut force and dynamite

2005-04-02

Taking a chapter from the "Insurgents Guide For Dummies: How To Win Customers and Influence Gov't Policy By Blowing Stuff Up And Generally Making An Ass Of Yourself," with bonus companion volume: "People Unclear On The Concept™," available at an anarchist's book fair near you. Insurgent Terrorist Dumbass Dissident wine producers in the Languedoc region of France have raised the stakes in their jihad struggle with the French government, using dynamite in attacks against official buildings in the cities of Montpellier, Carcassonne and Nimes. A shadowy group calling itself the Comité Regional d'Action Viticoles (CRAV) Motto: Nothing says "fine French wine" better than the smoldering rubble of the Forestry Ministry. used the explosives in protest at the diminishing market for their wines and at the government's offer of aid, considered insufficient to ease the industry's crisis. No-one was injured in the attacks, which caused extensive damage to the regional headquarters of the forestry and agriculture ministry in Montpellier and at its Carcassonne branch. A car belonging to the agriculture authorities in Nimes was set alight in front of their offices. The letters CRAV were scrawled on the walls of the buildings targeted in the attacks. The agriculture minister, Dominique Bussereau, travelled to the sites of the bombings yesterday, saying he "vigorously condemned" the attacks carried out by "a few isolated individuals who are seriously damaging the efforts of an entire profession". "Winemaking is a peaceful occupation. This was the work of a tiny minority of deviants. These ruffians are not following in the correct teachings of the profit Oenovin (vsop). And I deeply resent anyone who sez different." It is not the first time CRAV has resorted to violence. On 7 March the group claimed responsibility for bomb attacks at three sites, including the warehouses of Domaine La Baume, which is owned by France's largest wine exporter, Les GrandsChais de France. It is thought the attack was aimed at the perceived power of global wine companies compared with smaller operators. "Global" = "Jooos", I'd wager. Police at the time also found several unexploded sticks of dynamite at a neighbouring winery, Domaines de Virginie, part of the Castel Group, which owns Oddbins. On 8 March a protest by 7,000 angry producers in Montpellier turned violent when a policeman was knocked off his scooter and injured. Protesters then set fire to the scooter before running away. Six hundred riot police were called in to control the demonstrators. Seven thousand wine producers? Or a rent-a-mob? Although union representatives have launched negotiations with Mr Bussereau, they have called another protest for 20 April in Narbonne. "Brothers and sisters of the vine, UNITE!" CRAV's violent protests have regularly been officially condemned by the wine producing industry. Yesterday Denis Moreno, vice-president of the Federation of Wine Producers of Herault, criticised the attacks, saying he "regretted this type of action, which does not serve the cause of the wine industry". "They've been agitating quietly behind the scenes for years, but we never thought it would come to this. We'll have to reach out to them, start a dialogue, perhaps even a panneau de ruban bleu. If all else fails we'll take it to the EU Deputy Assistant Associate Underminister for Comestibles (Beaujolais, Valpollicelli, and Yogurt Division.)" Wine exports from the Languedoc-Roussillon region fell last year by seven per cent in volume and by 6.8 per cent in value. The region has been particularly hard-hit by the current crisis industry, which is suffering from overproduction, a sharp drop in domestic consumption and aggressive competition from New World wines, which overtook French wines on global export markets in 2003. A fifth of wine exported worldwide comes from France but wines from Argentina, Chile, the United States, South Africa and Australia now account for 23 per cent of international wine business. Another major problem facing the French wine industry is that the French themselves are drinking less wine. Wine sales have dropped by 20 per cent since 1980.

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