Rabat - Paris police opened fire on a car that attempted to crash through a Tour de France security barrier on Sunday, hours before welcoming cyclists to the finish during the final stage of the cycling race.
Rabat – Paris police opened fire on a car that attempted to crash through a Tour de France security barrier on Sunday, hours before welcoming cyclists to the finish during the final stage of the cycling race.
The car successfully sped away despite the shots fired by the police, but was later found abandoned nearby. Two men and two women were reportedly seen exiting the car.
The driver tried to crash through the barriers at high speed at Place de la Concorde, which is located near several central official buildings such as the Elysée Palace and the US Embassy in Paris.
On Monday, a 16-year-old handed himself in to police, admitting to having smashed through the barriers. Another person has also come forward claiming to have been in the car.
Both have been taken into custody and are being investigated for their involvement with the incident.
A third person, a woman in the hospital with bullet wounds who was operated on overnight, is also believed to have been in the car. Police say that her life is not in danger.
A police official told Reuters: “This is a minor incident. It wasn’t aimed at the Tour de France, it’s not terrorism, it’s just a simple refusal to comply, as there are many every day.”
Security for the final stage of the Tour de France through Paris was extremely tight following two serious attacks in January, one on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and another in a kosher grocery market.
The final stage typically finishes with a circuit through central Paris and a sprint finish along the Champs-Elysées. Later that day, the race ended without any such disturbances, with British cyclist Chris Froome winning the Tour de France for his second time.
Photograph: Stephane Mahe/REUTERS
