A group of 15 young people in the department of Eure are said to have attacked a local police station, launching projectiles and fireworks while yelling “Allah hu Akbar”.
The attack occurred at 2 am on Friday at the Val-de-Reuil-Louviers police station with the 15 “youths”, all wearing hoodies, firing projectiles directly at officers, French newspaper Le Figaro reports.
According to CCTV footage viewed by the paper, two of the officers were forced to deploy riot shields to defend themselves against the attack.
The entire incident is said to have lasted around half an hour with those besieging the station making attempts to break into the building.
Officers deployed tear gas at the attackers and police were later backed up by members of the Anti-Crime Brigade (BAC) and the Departmental Directorate of Public Security (DDSP).
A police report seen by the newspaper described the situation saying that the 15 youths not only shouted “Allah hu Akbar” at the officers but also insulted them as “French f*ckers” and reportedly said: “Come out were are going to burn you.” Later found at the scene were 115 projectiles of varying kinds.
The Alliance Police Nationale, a major police union, condemned the incident, labelling it “unheard-of violence”. The union added that it was concerned over the lack of resources and staff available saying the same station had been targetted in a similar incident in July last year.
The incident comes only months after a 34-year-old man in Bordeaux stormed a police station wearing a jihadi armband yelled death threats towards officers in the name of Allah. No officers were injured, but police were forced to deploy a taser to subdue the suspect.
Jihadis have repeatedly targetted police officers in France, with Islamic State taking responsibility for the killing of 42-year old police commissioner Jean-Baptiste Salvaing and his wife in 2016.
Larossi Abballa, who was behind the attack, stabbed the couple in their family home. Abballa, 25, had also been convicted for prior terror offences.