Wearing what looked like an explosive vest and shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ a man has been killed on suspicion of terrorism
A tragic incident has taken place a year on from the terrible event which occurred in Paris. On Thursday, the 7th of January, a man was shot outside Barbes police station for wearing what turned out to be a ‘fake’ explosive vest. This man is now dead and an officer has been injured. This incident is very noteworthy as it happened on the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Just moments before it took place, President François Hollande had given praise to the police force for their work on keeping the citizens of France safe.
The man was reported to be wielding a knife as he approached the police station, according to union sources. Meanwhile, the interior ministry state that the man was shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ which means ‘God is greater’ or ‘God is the greatest’, and this has led to the incident being treated as an act of terrorism. The man also attacked a police officer who is now injured.
After the death of this man, a bomb squad, which was present in the city, deployed a robot to inspect the body; after some time, the squad had confirmed that the vest was indeed a ‘dummy’ vest.
Because of the timing of this occurrence and the perceived threat level, residents were told by police to shut their windows and stay away from their balconies. Two schools were forced to keep children inside to prevent any further incidents.
Police were already on high alert in Paris since the unfortunate events of November 2015 when over 100 people were killed in a series of extremist terror attacks taking place at various locations around the city.
With Thursday the 7th marking exactly one year since the first catastrophe struck Paris in 2015, there was expectedly a high level of security present on the streets.
By Frank Okorafor
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