Policeman dead in Champs Élysées shooting
The lone attacker, who killed one policeman and wounded two others on France’s Champs Élysées on Thursday night has been named as Karim Cheurfi. Cherufi fired at a police van on the famous street late on 20 April at around 9pm before being shot dead by other police officers in the van. The so-called Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, though no proof of this has yet been found. French President François Hollande, however, did state that the attack was ‘terrorist in nature’.
French authorities say that the attacker was known to French security services, and had previously served a 15-year prison sentence after being convicted of three attempted murders, two of which were against police officers.
Travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth has advised travellers not to cancel trips to the city yet as the event may not meet the ‘specific conditions’ needed to be classed as a terrorist attack. Squaremouth has also launched the Paris Champs Élysées Shooting and Travel Insurance Information Centre to keep travellers up to date with coverage.