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Anger as 'radical' inmate shoots French policeman

The Local France
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Anger as 'radical' inmate shoots French policeman
Police officers search for evidence in a street in Ile-Saint-Denis, northern suburb of Paris search for evidence after the shoot-out. Photo: AFP

France’s Justice Minister Christiane Taubira came under fire on Tuesday after a radicalized inmate on the run after not returning to prison following temporary leave shot a policemen in the head during a botched robbery and car chase.

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Police unions reacted angrily on Tuesday after a radicalized prisoner shot a policeman, leaving him in a critical condition.

The inmate, who had been on the run since being allowed temporary leave in May, was killed in the shoot-out after succumbing to his injuries.

The injured officer, aged 36, is in hospital with the interior minister describing his condition as “desperate”.

The shoot-out occurred after two men attempted to rob a warehouse in the Saint-Ouen to the north of Paris.

It turns out the dead man, a criminal with a history of violent crime who had reportedly been radicalized in prison, had been on the run since May.

The man was supposed to return after a weekend’s leave but failed to do so.

It has emerged he was the subject of a “fiche S”, which means anti-terrorism authorities had reason to believe he was a potential threat.

Unions have called on the government to explain why such a dangerous individual was allowed out of prison.

The police union Alliance says Justice Minister Taubira “must be held accountable because the fact our colleague is fighting for his life could have been avoided.”

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