Two French police officers have both died after being stabbed by an unknown assailant during a siege. The assailant was shot dead by police after a tense stand-off.
The incident happened in Magnanville, in Yvelines, about 35 minutes from Versailles where the Irish team are staying.
A 42 year old officer, named locally as Jean-Baptiste Salvaing, was a deputy chief of judicial police at Les Mureaux police station. He was stabbed nine times and died at around 8pm after returning home.
It is believed that the suspect, a neighbour of the victim, then burst into the home of the policeman located North West of the French capital, and took the police officer’s family hostage. The officer’s wife is also a police officer.
Elite police commandos from the RAID unit attended the the scene and entered negotiations with the attacker. The authorities have also sealed off the street and reportedly cut off power and gas to the neighbourhood.
French police said that the dead man was a Commander and was trying to reason with a violent suspect when he was murdered outside his home.
