A murder investigation has been launched after French rioters rammed a burning car into the home of the mayor of L’Haÿ-les-Roses, in an attack that is being described as an “assassination” attempt which saw his wife and one of his two children injured as they fled for their lives.
Local prosecutors have opened a murder investigation on Sunday after the home of Vincent Jeanbrun, mayor of L’Haÿ-les-Roses in the Paris suburb of Val-de-Marne was attacked by rioters with a flaming car.
While the mayor was not at home at the time of the attack, his wife was “seriously” injured and hospitalised, suffering a broken leg while trying to flee the violent mob. One of the couple’s children was also injured during the attack.
Speaking to the Le Figaro newspaper, the mayor’s office said that the rioters had “the clear intention of setting fire to the mayor’s home”.
For his part, Mayor Jeanbrun said on Sunday: “Last night, a milestone was reached in horror and ignominy. My home was attacked and my family was the victim of an assassination attempt. My determination to protect and serve the Republic is greater than ever. I will not back down.”
In addition to ramming a flaming car into their home, the rioters also set the family’s car on fire before being chased off by police officers, who discovered a Coca-Cola bottle full of a fire accelerant at the scene.
Jeanbrun was barricaded in the local town hall and guarded by several police officers at the time of the attack, with the local area descending into chaos amid nationwide riots following the police shooting of an Algerian-heritage 17-year-old referred to as Nahel M after he fled in his car from a police stop.
TOPSHOT – Municipal police officers stand in front of the damaged home of the Mayor of l’Hay-les-Roses Vincent Jeanbrun, in l’Hay-les-Roses, a suburb of Paris on July 2, 2023, after rioters rammed a vehicle into the building injuring the Mayor’s wife and one of his children overnight. (Photo by Nassim GOMRI / AFP) (Photo by NASSIM GOMRI/AFP via Getty Images)
The prosecutor’s office in Créteil announced that an investigation was opened on Sunday into attempted murder.
The attack has shocked the political class across France, with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne telling reporters as she visited the site that those responsible for the attack will be punished with the “utmost severity”.
Former presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said: “A new milestone was reached last night with the fire at the home of the mayor of L’Haÿ-les-Roses. All my thoughts are with Vincent Jeanbrun, his children and his wife, who is hospitalised today.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.