News / France

France police open fire on car, arrest driver

Wednesday, 16 December 2015 1:14 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 16 December 2015 1:14 PM ]

French gendarmes patrol on a road in La Mole, near Saint-Tropez, southeastern France, December 8, 2015. ©AFP

Police have opened fire on a vehicle that lurched towards a military museum building in the French capital city of Paris, stopping the car and taking its driver into custody.

A police official, whose name was not revealed, said an officer fired some 10 shots at the car and brought it to a halt at the Les Invalides complex on Wednesday. No one sustained injuries in the incident.

The golden-domed complex recently hosted a remembrance ceremony for the victims of last month’s Paris attacks.

The photo shows a general view of the courtyard during a ceremony where politicians, officials and guests pay a national homage to the victims of the November 13 Paris attacks at the Les Invalides complex in Paris, France, November 27, 2015. ©Reuters

On November 13, assailants struck at least six different venues, including cafes, restaurants, a sports stadium and a rock concert, in and around the French capital, leaving 130 people dead and over 350 others wounded.

The deadly attacks were claimed by the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, which is currently carrying out atrocities in parts of Syria and Iraq under its control.

Most of the assailants were killed, but French and Belgian authorities are still hunting for other culprits.

Following the Paris attacks, France introduced a state of emergency, empowering the police to keep people in their homes without trial, searching houses without judicial approval and blocking suspicious websites. However, many activists have expressed concerns about the government’s abuse of power under the nationwide state of emergency.

Arrests in Austria

In another development on Wednesday, Austrian police arrested two people with suspected links to the November attacks in Paris.

"Two people coming from the Middle East were arrested at the weekend," said Robert Holzleitner, a spokesman for prosecutors in the Austrian city of Salzburg, adding, "Indications of a possible link to the Paris attacks are currently being investigated."

The Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung also reported that the two men were French citizens of Algerian and Pakistani origin.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk