Man shot dead at Paris Orly airport
It’s believed he was fatally injured after snatching a soldier’s gun.
He was shot dead by security forces after apparently seizing the weapon.
The man, who has not yet been identified, was killed inside the terminal at the airport, which is located to the south of the French capital.
The airport – the second largest serving the French capital – was evacuated, as anti-terrorist police flooded into the area.
All flights are currently being redirected from Orly and the a bomb disposal team are currently on site.
French police have confirmed there is an ongoing operation at the airport and advised the public to stay away from the area.
A police source said the suspect had been killed by troops taking part in Operation Sentinelle, a security initiative that has been in place since 2015, and involves some 7000 soldiers.
‘It happened in the south terminal – it is being evacuated,’ said a source at the airport. ‘Passengers and staff are being moved out of the areas.’
The man who was shot dead by soldiers at Orly airport was the same individual who had shot at security services earlier in the morning in northern Paris and was a radicalised Muslim known to authorities, a police source said.
‘A police road check took place in Stains (northern Paris) this morning at 0700. It turned bad and the individual shot at the officers before fleeing,’ one police source said.
‘This same man – a radicalised Muslim known to intelligence services and the justice system – then took a Famas (assault weapon) from a soldier at Orly’s southern terminal before being shot dead by a soldier.’
A second police source also suggested the two incidents were linked.
Paris police office says a man fired at police officers with a gun that fired birdshot, wounding one in the face, when stopped for a police traffic check early this morning.
The man then fled, threatening a motorist with a weapon to steal her car.
Police say that car was later found close to the Orly Airport.
A national police official said it is unclear if the attacker was acting alone.
No civilians were hurt in the incident, according to France’s Interior Ministry.
The ministry tweeted: ‘The events at the airport this morning caused no injuries.
Passengers at Orly airport took to social media to share pictures and video as they were evacuated from the airport.
Eyewitness Franck Lecam, 54, said the killing happened close to a departure lounge where people were waiting to board a flight to Israel.
Mr Lecam said: ‘We were waiting in line to check in on the flight to Tel Aviv when we heard three or four gunshots nearby.
‘The entire airport has been evacuated. We are being kept at the front of the airport, about 200 meters from the entrance hall.
‘There are policemen, emergency workers, and soldiers everywhere, and they are running in all directions.’
Passengers at Paris’ Orly airport describe gunshots and panic when a man was killed after seizing a weapon from a soldier guarding the site.
A witness identified only as Dominque said on BFM television: ‘The soldiers took aim at the man, who in turn pointed the gun he had seized at the two soldiers.’
Another man said that there was a group of three soldiers targeted, and they tried to calm the man who seized the weapon. Then the man said he heard two gunshots.
Another witness, identified as Patrick, said he was at the check-in counter when he saw someone come in from outside and the incident began.
A French journalist on a flight that landed from Nice told France-Info radio passengers are being kept on the plane and aren’t being allowed to disembark.
The shooting comes after a similar incident last month at the Louvre Museum.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are currently in Paris. They are currently staying at the British Ambassador’s residence by the British Embassy.
The Royal couple will attend the Invalides military monument later today to meet victims of terrorism.
Writer: icole Morley for Metro.co.uk
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