The French police officer who died after he offered himself in exchange for a hostage in an Islamist attack is being honoured in Paris.
Lt Col Arnaud Beltrame, 44, was one of four victims of a shooting spree in southern France on Friday.
He will be awarded France’s highest accolade, the Legion d’Honneur, at a national memorial service later.
President Emmanuel Macron said he “fell as a hero” after showing “exceptional courage and selflessness”.
The officer’s coffin is being taken through Paris to Les Invalides, where Mr Macron will deliver a eulogy in front of Col Beltrame’s friends, family and colleagues.
A minute’s silence has been held as members of the public gathered to pay their respects. His coffin will then travel back to Carcassone for the funeral.
‘He never gave up’
Col Beltrame was a highly-regarded member of the Gendarmerie Nationale and was described by Mr Macron as someone who “fought until the end and never gave up” and deserved “the respect and admiration of the whole nation”.
His brother Cedric told a French radio station on Saturday: “He gave his life for strangers. He must have known that he didn’t really have a chance. If that doesn’t make him a hero, I don’t know what would.”
Col Beltrame’s actions helped bring an end to the siege in a supermarket by 25-year-old Redouane Lakdim.
The gunman had been on an extremist watch list and was known to authorities as a petty criminal, but intelligence services had determined he did not pose a threat. He was shot dead by police.
Sixteen people were injured, two seriously, in what was the worst jihadist attack under Mr Macron’s presidency.
Lakdim was said to have demanded the release of Salah Abdeslam, the most important surviving suspect in the 13 November 2015 attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people.
The attacker’s girlfriend, who has not been named, is reportedly a convert to Islam who has been known to security services for at least a year.
On Tuesday, she was placed under formal investigation accused of “associating with terrorists preparing attacks” and remains in police custody.
One other person, a 17-year-old friend of the gunman, was released on Monday after being questioned.
Source: BBC
The post French Hero Policeman Honoured In Paris appeared first on Ultimate FM.
The French police officer who died after he offered himself in exchange for a hostage in an Islamist attack is being honoured in Paris. Lt Col Arnaud Beltrame, 44, was one of four victims of a shooting spree in southern France on Friday. He will be awarded France’s highest accolade, the Legion d’Honneur, at a […]
The post French Hero Policeman Honoured In Paris appeared first on Ultimate FM.
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