Looking back at two hostage rescues in France

(Baonghean.vn) - On Friday, January 9, three kidnappers, including the Kouachi brothers, suspects in the bloody attack on Charlie Hebdo and Amedy Coulibaly, suspect in the shooting in Montrouge, were killed in simultaneous attacks in Dammartin-en-Goele and Porte de Vincennes. According to the latest information, at least four people were killed and many others were injured.

Two days after the shooting at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, the two suspects Chérif and Said were killed by police in Dammartin-en-Goele, Seine-et-Marne. On Friday morning, police discovered the Peugeot 206 that the Kouachi brothers had stolen in Montangy-Sainte-Félicité in the north. A chase and gunfight ensued on Highway 2. At around 9:30 a.m. (around 3:30 p.m. Vietnam time), the two men took a hostage at the CTD company in Dammartin-en-Goele. Police said that after 17 hours of rescue, the police killed the Kouachi brothers and successfully rescued the hostage. However, three police officers were injured during the operation, including one from the Raid force and two from GIGN.

Snipers at a building in Dammartin-en-Goele. Photo: Eric Gaillard

Also on Friday, at Porte de Vincennes, Paris, Amedy Coulibaly – the suspect in the Montrouge attack – took several hostages in a grocery store with a rifle. After 17 hours of fighting, security forces killed Amedy Coulibaly but the rescue of the hostages was not completely successful. Currently, at least 4 hostages were killed and 4 police officers were injured.

According to the investigation of the authorities, Amedy Coulibaly had contact with Chérif Kouachi, one of the two suspects in the Charlie Hebdo attack. At this time, investigators opened a file on the leaders "conspiring to commit murder and having links to a terrorist organization" in the "context that these people had heavy weapons and were considering an action against the security forces".

Since the bloody attack on Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday, several false alarms about armed men have been reported. Most notably on Friday, alarms were raised at the Trocadero promenade, the Museum of Humanity, and metro stations in the XV district of Paris. However, after verification, the Interior Ministry said that all of them were false alarms, once again showing the atmosphere of fear that is pervading France.

On Thursday evening, near Dijon, two other people were arrested after an anonymous caller reported that “a Moroccan national was planning to commit a crime in Dijon and that he might have weapons at home.” Prosecutors conducted searches but found nothing.

Chu Thanh– according to Liberation 9/1