Terror rocks French polls
The killing of a policeman on Paris's Champs Elysees claimed by the Islamic State group rocked France's presidential race yesterday with just two days to go before voting in the closest election for decades.
Bloodshed had long been feared ahead of tomorrow's first round of the election after a string of attacks since 2015, and the shooting propelled the jihadist threat to the fore.
A note praising Islamic State (IS) was found near the body of the 39-year-old French attacker, who shot dead one officer and wounded two others before being killed by police.
The note bolstered IS's claim that the perpetrator, named as Karim Cheurfi, was one of its "fighters".
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen -- who is locked in a tight four-way contest with centrist Emmanuel Macron, conservative Francois Fillon and Communist-backed firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon -- moved quickly to present herself as the toughest of the four on terrorism.
The 48-year-old National Front leader called for France to "immediately" take back control of its borders from the European Union and deport all foreigners on a terror watch list.
"This war against us is ceaseless and merciless," she said in a sternly-worded address, accusing the Socialist government of a "cowardly" response to the threat.
Fillon and Macron also hastily convened televised briefings, where they both vowed to protect the French.
"Some haven't taken the full measure of the evil," 63-year-old Fillon said, promising an "iron-fisted" approach.
Macron, a 39-year-old moderate whom other candidates have portrayed as inexperienced, warned against any attempts to use the attack for political gain.
"Let us not give into fear, let us not give into division," he said, telling voters he would be "unwavering in protecting you."
US President Donald Trump tweeted that the attack "will have a big effect" on the election.
"Another terrorist attack in Paris. The people of France will not take much more of this. Will have a big effect on presidential election!" he said, breaking a silence over tomorrow's vote.
IS NOTE
The gunman drew up alongside a police van and fired at around 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Thursday, sending tourists and visitors to the world-renowned boulevard running for their lives.
After opening fire just a few hundred metres from the Arc de Triomphe monument, the gunman was shot dead while trying to flee on foot. A foreign tourist was slightly wounded by shrapnel.
In addition to the note praising IS, authorities found a Koran in the attacker's vehicle.
A statement by IS's propaganda agency Amaq said the attacker was one of its "fighters", identifying him as "Abu Yussef the Belgian".
But French authorities named him as Karim Cheurfi, a Frenchman living in the Paris suburbs.
The IS claim raised initial concerns that a possible second attacker could be on the loose.
A French interior ministry spokesman confirmed yesterday that a manhunt was underway for a second individual, based on information from Belgian security services.
It was "too early to say" if the man was linked to Thursday's shooting, said ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet.
Cheurfi was known to anti-terror police, sources told AFP. He had been arrested in February on suspicion of plotting to kill police officers but released because of a lack of evidence.
He had been convicted in 2005 of three counts of attempted murder, two involving police officers, sources said. Three people known to him were being questioned by police.
EXPLOITING ATTACK
It was unclear how the election would be impacted by the shooting, which came days after two men were arrested in Marseille on suspicion of plotting an imminent attack.
The shooting follows a series of strikes around Europe in the last month, targeting Stockholm, London and the underground train system in Saint Petersburg.
Until now, surveys showed voters more concerned about unemployment and the economy than terrorism or security, though analysts warned this could change in the event of violence.
France has been under a state of emergency for nearly a year and a half, with more than 230 people killed in jihadist attacks since the start of 2015.
The offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine were hit in January 2015, IS gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in Paris the following November, and a Tunisian man rammed a truck through crowds in Nice last July, killing 86 people.
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