The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation for attempted homicide against persons holding public authority after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at gendarmes during demonstrations in Paris on Saturday, it told Agence France-Presse on Sunday, 1 November. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had described the incident as an attempted murder. Photos and videos showed an improvised bomb exploding at the feet of a member of the security forces at Porte de Charenton in the 12th arrondissement, slightly injuring him.
The prosecutor's office said explosive objects were thrown at around 15 gendarmes and police officers. The inquiry was assigned to the Paris territorial security service. A count of the injured was underway, and the prosecutor's office said the injuries appeared to include second-degree burns and tinnitus, though the assessment still needed to be clarified. It added that the first complaints would be filed that day and that none had been lodged at that stage. No suspect had been arrested at that point for the acts in question, and investigations were continuing to identify the perpetrators.
The gendarme hit by the Molotov cocktail told news channels about the burning sensation and stinging skin, and said his unit had been hit by a shower of various projectiles from a determined group.
Presidential candidates Marine Le Pen of the Rassemblement national and Bruno Retailleau of Les Républicains condemned the gesture as unbearable after the images circulated.
The Paris prosecutor's office also reported 105 arrests on Sunday, including 88 linked to Saturday's protests and 17 tied to Halloween night. It counted 74 people in police custody in Paris, including 67 adults and seven minors. For the adults, the main allegations concerned participation in a group formed to commit violence or damage, carrying category D weapons such as daggers and knuckledusters, and possession or transport of an incendiary or explosive substance or product. The prosecutor's office also cited offenses against persons holding public authority. Five law enforcement members, four police officers and one gendarme, were injured in Paris, according to a Saturday evening tally from the interior ministry and the Paris police prefecture. The prosecutor's office mentioned offenses against persons and property to a much lesser extent and said the toll could change. It issued a correction at 19:40 on 1 November concerning the number of people placed in police custody in Paris.
Sources: Le Monde Politique.