Radicalised Muslim Prisoner On The Run Since May Shoots Policeman

A radicalised Muslim prisoner on the run since failing to return from day release in May has shot and critically injured a French policeman.

Police union anger towards the French Minister of Justice, Christiane Taubira, mounted when it transpired that the fugitive gunman was a prison inmate granted temporary leave back in May, reports The Local. The Alliance union said she “must be held accountable because the fact our colleague is fighting for his life could have been avoided.”

The 36-year-old policeman was shot in the face and neck during a prolonged gunfight. The shootout followed a jewellery store robbery and subsequent car chase in Ile-Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, which ended when the robbers became stuck in traffic.

The policeman’s condition is described as “desperate”. One of the gunmen died at the scene and the other surrendered.

The incident has brought the efficiency of French security and justice systems into question, reports International Business Times. The dead robber had been on the run since exploiting a temporary licence granted to him in May despite his long criminal record.

Even more alarmingly the 24-year-old had ties to Islamic extremists and was the subject of a ‘fiche S’, meaning anti-terrorism officers believed him to be a potential threat having been radicalised in prison.

In a statement the Alliance union said Minister Taubira was responsible for their colleague’s injuries:

“It is morally inconceivable that such a dangerous individual can be let out on permit. The police are waiting for an explanation from the Minister of Justice because she owes one to us, the police, and especially to his [the injured officer’s] family.”

The matter is particularly controversial as it comes just one week after another radical Islamist went on the run following temporary leave from a French prison sentence.

As Breitbart London previously reported, before his disappearance he told fellow inmates they “will soon be hearing about [him]”.

Follow Sarkis Zeronian on Twitter: Follow @SarkisZ or e-mail to: szeronian@breitbart.com