ISIS terrorist is under arrest this evening after he crushed two police motorcyclists with his car in Paris.
The 29-year-old man is said to have crushed the officers at high speed between his BMW and a patrol car.
The horrifying attack took place in the northern suburb of Colombes in the French capital shortly after 5.30pm on Monday and left one of the officers in intensive care.
The 29-year-old attacker – being referred to as Youssef T. – has since admitted ‘I did it for ISIS,’ according to investigators speaking to the Parisien newspaper.
Searches at his home in Colombes and of his car are reported to have uncovered a letter explaining his action with possible terrorist motives, and a knife.
The suspect was taken into custody for interrogation at a high security police station in the Paris area.
According to police sources, a man on a moped was first chased by a police motorbike unit carrying out roadside checks during the coronavirus lockdown.
He abandoned his two-wheeler and then fled in a Peugeot vehicle, leaving the police unit congregating outside a shutdown school.
It was then that that the black BMW 1 Series arrived at high speed and crushed the two officers who were standing by their bikes and the patrol car.
“One was trapped between a municipal police car and that of the madman,” a source told Le Parisien.
Both officers were rushed away from the scene, with the worst injured going to the Beaujon Hospital at Clichy, where he was placed in an artificial coma.
Youssef was known to police, but not to France’s security services, according to the investigating sources.
A spokesman for the Synergie police union, who posted pictures of the accident on Twitter, said: “The perpertrator apparently has terrorist motivations which remains to be confirmed.
“In any event, those who stigmatize police officers and designate them as targets are very largely responsible for these acts.”
Nicole Goueta, the mayor of Colombes, said ‘two young police officers were between life and death’ and ‘my thoughts are with their families.’
Christophe Castaner, France’s Interior Minister, said: “My thoughts are with our two injured police officers who were employed to protect us.
“We salute the coolness of the municipal police officers who came to their aid and arrested the accused. The investigation that is beginning will shed light on his motivations.”
Earlier this month, three Sudanese refugees were placed in custody in France following the first terrorist attack in Europe during the coronavirus lockdown – raising fears that they were part of an ISIS-style cell.
The deadliest single terrorist attack ever in the country came in November 2015 when 130 people were killed in Paris.
Suicide bombers pledging allegiance to ISIS targeted the Stade de France, cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan music venue, where 90 died.
Earlier in the year, two Paris-born gunmen linked to Al-Qaeda broke into the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, leaving 17 people dead inside and three outside.
