Sallah body lying dead on a Paris street. (Getty)
Sallah body lying dead on a Paris street. (Getty)
A man tried to attack a Paris police station armed with a meat cleaver and a fake suicide vest. Sallah Ali, 20, was shot dead by French cops on the morning of January 7. The anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in 2014. Among his possessions, investigators found an ISIS flag and a note claiming responsibility.
On January 7, 2015, two brothers, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, raided the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and killed 11 people in the name of ISIS.
This is a breaking story so stay tuned for updates.
Here’s what we know so far:
1. He Was a Petty Thief From Morocco
French police officers and an anti-explosive robot standing beside Sallah Ali’s body. (Getty)
The BBC reports that Sallah is a native of Morocco and is a convicted thief. Meanwhile, Europe 1 reports that Ali was not on the radar of anti-terror forces in France. He was born in Casablanca in 1995. Ali was homeless at the time of his death.
2. Just After Shouting ‘Allah Akbar,’ He Was Shot Dead
He walked up to a police station at around 11:30 a.m. local time and shouted “Allah Akbar.” Before he could enter Sallah was shot dead. A police union representative told local news that Sallah “fell immediately.” Witnesses said they hear cops shoot around four times. The station is located in the Goutte d’Or neighborhood in northern Paris. The area has a large north African immigrant population. A Sky News report said a local resident who was about to be interviewed by the network was arrested by anti-terror police prior to speaking.
3. French Security Forces Are to Be Increased Significantly by 2017
Just prior to the shots ringing out, French leader Francois Hollande had praised Parisian police in their responses to attacks since the Charlie Hebdo attacks on January 7, 2015. He added that there would be an “unprecedented” straightening of French forces in major cities.
4. It’s Not Being Treated as Terrorism
According to the BBC, police are treating the incident as a case of attempted murder. French government minister Christiane Taubira said that it doesn’t appear that Ali had been radicalized. She said, “What is very clear from what is known of this person, [he] has no connection with violent radicaliziation.” Anti-terror cops were quick to establish the purported suicide vest that Ali was wearing was a fake. Among his belongings were a note claiming responsibility for the attack which was written in Arabic as well as the flag of ISIS, reports France 24.
5. Donald Trump’s Tweet About the Attack Has Attracted Widespread Criticism
(Twitter)
In response to the attack, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump tweeted about the incident. In doing so, Trump insinuated that he thought Paris was in Germany. The message led to the phrase “Paris is in Germany” becoming a national trend on Twitter. Though a BBC report says that it’s unlikely Trump really thinks the French capital is in a different country.