France is “overwhelmed” with violence thanks to the “laxity” of successive governments, Front National presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has said.

In a tweet after Saturday’s Islamist attack at Paris’s Orly airport, Ms. Le Pen praised the bravery of her country’s soldiers and blamed the incident on the weakness of the French political establishment.

La France débordée par la violence, conséquence du laxisme des gouvernements successifs. Mais il y a le courage de nos soldats ! #Orly MLP — Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) March 18, 2017

Troops shot a man dead at the airport on Saturday morning after he tried to grab a soldier’s gun, sparking a major security alert that shut the airport down.

Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux said the man, Ziyed Ben Belgacem, was “known to the police and intelligence services” before the incident.

Describing the attack, Paris prosecutor François Molins said: “With a pistol in his right hand and a bag over his shoulder, he grabbed (the soldier) with his left arm, made her move backward by three to four meters (yards), positioning her as a shield, and pointed his revolver at her forehead.”

He then yelled: “Put down your weapons! Put your hands on your head! I am here to die for Allah. Whatever happens, there will be deaths.”

“Everything suggests that he wanted to take the [soldier’s rifle] so there would be deaths and to shoot people,” Mr. Molins said.

The soldier’s two comrades opened fire, killing the attacker.

The attacker’s father and brother were detained by police for questioning but later released.

Ms. Le Pen focused on security and immigration at a rally in the southern city of Nice last month. She paid homage to the 86 victims of the attack there last year, in which revellers were mowed down by a truck while celebrating Bastille Day.

A senior member of her party had previously suggested setting up travelling restrictions similar to those proposed by U.S President Donald J. Trump in order to protect France from further terror attacks.

When asked whether the Front National would imitate Mr. Trump’s policy, Mayor Steeve Briois said: “Why not?”