Far-right leader Marine Le Pen urges govt. to “immediately” reclaim border control from EU; PM assures voters of safety

A police officer was killed in central Paris when a gunman opened fire on a police van parked on the iconic Avenue des Champs Elysees on Thursday, days before France votes in the first round of an increasingly tight presidential election.

The attack that injured two other officers and a tourist occurred at about 9 pm local time. The assailant was shot dead as he was trying to escape on foot, according to police. The dead officer has been identified as 37-year-old Xavier Jugele.

In reaction to the attack, three of the four top contenders have called off their campaigns on Friday, the last day of campaigning before Sunday’s vote. Marine Le Pen, the far-right candidate and leader of Front National, who’s tipped to be one of the top vote-getters, said France should “immediately” reclaim control of its borders from the European Union and expel foreigners who were on terror watch lists. Ms. Le Pen also criticised the current Socialist government for its response to the terror threat.

Tight security

Prime Minister Bernard Cazaneuve, however, announced that security forces and elite units would be deployed to support the 50,000 police already maintaining law and order during the voting process.

“It falls to us not to give in to fear and intimidation and manipulation which would play into the hands of the enemy,” Mr. Cazaneuve told the press after a security meeting on Friday morning.

Shortly after the attack, the Islamic State (IS) terror group claimed responsibility through its propaganda agency, Amaq. The group claimed that the attack was carried out by Abu Yusuf al-Beljiki, a name with a reference to the attacker’s Belgian roots or residence. A note praising the IS was found next to the body of the attacker.

While public prosecutor Francois Molins said the identity of the attacker was known, there was no official confirmation in this regard till the time of going to press. The name that is being circulated in the local media is that of a 39-year-old French man, Karim Cheurfi. Several knives and a pump-action shotgun were found in Cheurfi’s car.

Authorities continue to search for a second suspect, Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told a radio channel on Friday morning. A man in Antwerp, Belgium, turned himself into the police after seeing his name on TV in connection with the attack, but has since been cleared of involvement.

Crime record

As the day progressed, details of Cheufri started emerging. He had been detained in February for threatening police but later freed due to lack of evidence, The Associated Press reported.

Cheufri, according to media reports, served 15 years in prison for a conviction on three counts of murder, including two against police officers. He was out on parole in 2015.

Some in the local media speculated that the attacks could push voters towards Ms. Le Pen’s far right Front National but it is not certain how the incident would influence the voters.

“In a way, it is too late, and also we have been living with such fears and events for a long time now,” Oliver Tonneau, an academic at the Cambirdge University who is associated with leftist candidate Jean Luc Melenchon’s campaign, told The Hindu. Mr. Tonneau felt that the attack could have had an impact on the poll if the candidates had the time to position themselves around the event in specific terms, rather than generally condemning it as they have done.

Francois Godement of the European Council of Foreign Relations, a pan-European think tank, said there might be a marginal but non-material impact from the attack. “It’s like getting a second shot of a vaccine — it’s a reminder. But it won’t be more than marginally,” Mr. Godement said to The Hindu, adding that “again, this is not anything new.”