Tensions mount in Paris after police fatally shot teen

AFP

Protesters armed with fireworks clashed with riot police in a Paris suburb overnight after a 17-year-old was shot dead by police during a traffic stop and prosecutors opened a homicide investigation.

Thirty-one people were arrested in the clashes in which 40 cars were burned, mostly in Nanterre, the Paris suburb where the victim was from, interior Gerald Darmanin said on Wednesday.

Video footage showed at least one building on fire and burnt-out barricades on the road. Fireworks were aimed at police, who fired tear gas at the crowd.

Darmanin called for calm on BFMTV on Wednesday morning and said "justice must be done and the truth must be told". Some 2,000 police officers have been mobilised in the region, he said.

He added that the police officer would be suspended from his function if the charges against him are upheld.

Prosecutors on Tuesday said the shooting took place after the youth failed to comply with an order to stop his car. The officer fired at the boy, who subsequently died from his wounds, it said.

A video shared on social media, verified by Reuters, shows two police officers beside the car, a Mercedes AMG, with one shooting as the driver pulled away.

Local resident and anti-racism campaigner, Mornia Labssi, who said she had spoken to the victim's family, said his name was Nael and that he was of Algerian origin. Prosecutors did not identify the victim.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told BFM TV that "this act raises questions for me" and that the justice system would decide whether or not it was appropriate.

The two officers who carried out the traffic stop, aged between 38 and 40, were experienced, Darmanin said.

French actor Omar Sy expressed his support for the family of the victim on Twitter and called for "justice to honour the memory of this child".

Paris Saint-Germain footballer Kylian Mpabbe tweeted heartbreak emojies and wrote "I'm hurting for my France. An unacceptable situation."

More from International news

  • Israeli attacks on Gaza killed 60 people in 24 hours

    Israeli occupation forces committed multiple massacres against families in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, resulting in the killing of at least 60 Palestinians and the injury of 162 others, according to medical reports.

  • Trump fires National Security Agency director

    U.S. President Donald Trump fired General Timothy Haugh as director of the National Security Agency on Thursday, according to two officials familiar with the decision, and congressional Democrats denounced the removal of the nonpartisan official from a top security post.

  • Israel steps up Syria strikes, says Turkey aims for 'protectorate'

    Israel stepped up airstrikes on Syria, declaring the attacks a warning to the new rulers in Damascus as it accused their ally Turkey of trying to turn the country into a Turkish protectorate.

  • US sending Israel 20,000 assault rifles that Biden delayed

    The Trump administration moved forward with the sale of more than 20,000 US-made assault rifles to Israel last month, according to a document seen by Reuters, pushing ahead with a sale that the administration of former president Joe Biden had delayed.

News

  • UAE shines in global competitiveness rankings for 2025

    The UAE has maintained its rising performance in the global competitiveness race during the first quarter of 2025 by achieving advanced positions in many relevant international and regional indicators and reports.

  • UAE President marks Senegal independence day

    President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal on the occasion of his country's Independence Day.

  • UAE expands cancer prevention plan

    The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing the incidence of cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases through a proactive national strategy.