The gunman who shot dead a policeman in Paris on Thursday has been identified from papers left in his car, but French officials are yet to release his name. Local media say the 39-year-old lived in the city's suburbs, and had been seen as a potential Islamist radical. The gunman wounded two police officers before being shot dead by security forces on the Champs Elysees. A pump-action shotgun and knives were found in his car, the French TV station BFMTV reports. French media named the man as Karim Cheurfi, 39, from the eastern Paris suburb of Chelles. Another man suspected of possible links to the attack has turned himself in to Belgian police.French police have detained three members of the gunman's family, Reuters news agency reports, citing a legal source.

Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said security forces, including elite units, were fully mobilised ahead of Sunday's presidential election. "Nothing must be allowed to impede the fundamental democratic process of our country," he said after an emergency security cabinet meeting. So-called Islamic State (IS) has said one of its "fighters" carried out the attack.

On Friday the main candidates were quick to urge tough action against Islamist terrorism but cancelled the final rallies they had planned. Mr Cazeneuve, a Socialist, accused two of the frontrunners - far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and conservative François Fillon - of exploiting the attack for electoral gain. He scorned Ms Le Pen for linking the attack to immigration. The shooting is a shocking event that will certainly be on voters' minds on Sunday, the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris says.

A car pulled up alongside a police bus just before 21:00 (19:00 GMT) and a man got out, opening fire on the bus with an automatic weapon, Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said. After killing an officer, the man attempted to run away while shooting at other officers, two of whom he injured, the spokesman added. He was then shot dead by security forces.

Terrified eyewitnesses later recounted scenes of panic as they ran for cover after hearing gunfire. The whole of the Champs Elysees was evacuated. Paris prosecutor François Molins said shortly after the shootings that the attacker's identity was known and had been verified. Belgium's interior minister told VRT public broadcaster that the gunman was a French national. The man named by French media as Karim Cheurfi was convicted in the early 2000s of attempted murder in the shooting of two police officers and served several years in prison. More recently the intelligence services identified him as a potential Islamic radical, French media say.

Police searched an address in the suburb of Chelles overnight. Meanwhile, IS named the attacker as Abu-Yusuf al-Baljiki, in a statement carried by its Amaq news outlet.

More at BBC News link

Link to France 24 Streaming Click "Watch Live" in the top left side of the screen

Lemme guess.

In on one

Fox has it live, citing France24.

http://www.france24.com/en/livefeed-live-feed-watch-news-channel-live-latest-information

On twitter, one LEO dead, another shot. Perp dead. 

Oh shit

this can't end well

What?

say what now?

in before Carnac.

I wonder who would do such a thing

OST

The religion of peace strikes again?

In on 1

Edited ~ medicmandan

They can fix this in Europe, they just choose not to.

Yep in on one I guess.  Hope it's basically nothing

whoops ETA

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/paris-attack-shooting-two/2017/04/20/id/785486/

Chock full of details.

Nothing to see here.

In on one...prayers sent to the victims.

The Champs Elysees is usually a sea of people.

In on 1

It's because of their lax gun control.  This is somehow Virginia's fault.

In on 1

Angry white christian?

in on 1

Amish, for sure.

In for the surprising results....

Just another day in paradise

On the Ave. des Champs Elysees no less.  This has gotten way out of hand.  

Why is this world wide news?

Two cops get shot here and it barely makes regional news.


On another note, hopefully the wounded recovers quickly. And the shooter is taking a dirt nap.

some lone nutter named mohommed. Or muhummad.

In on 1

Figure it out? Go on forever? Islamic terror is one of the tools TPTB are using to destroy the west. There is no desire by them to end war or to end terrorism- they create it and benefit from it.

Any description of the brown attacker yet?

BBC is reporting that the perp is down.

In on 1. Hope the snackbar is closed for business.

Pretty much.

Two cops get shot here it is national news.

But it is more common here because diversity. So it is bigger news when it happens there, and also implies diversity.

We may always know their motivation.

Convenient timing being close to an election.  

We'll see if they reveal the identity of the perp, but we all know the highly effective technique of false flags.

When I was in Paris last summer we frequently saw well armed pairs of LE/Military just patrolling. They'd also stand outside churches during Sunday services.

We are at a point where we can guess the name and be right a pretty good %.

One of the attackers has been shot and an eyewitness described a man getting out of a car and opening fire "with a kalashnikov."


link

The media and political elite would love to report it was done by a "right winger". This isn't a plausible false flag attack. If a non-muslim did it we will know very soon and very often.

Doesn't make sense.  The Champs Elysees is a huge tourist area, sure, but it bears no special significance other than "Hey, let's spend a lovely Spring day strolling around."  It's not the Tour Eiffel, or the Louvre.  It's not iconic.  

What was that tourist area in India where the bastards went hotel to hotel over the course of a night?  I could see THAT kind of attack on the Champs Elysees.  Lone gunman?  Doesn't make sense.