Non-fatal injuries 1 Dates 13 Nov 2013 – 18 Nov 2013 Total number of deaths 0 Location Paris | Suspected perpetrator Abdelhakim Dekhar Location Paris, France Attack type Gun | |
Target BFM TV offices, Libération offices, and Société Générale headquarters | ||
On November 15, 2013, a gunman attacked the offices of the news channel BFM TV, in Paris. Three days later, on November 18, he attacked the offices of the newspaper Libération and the headquarters of the bank Société Générale. The gunman hijacked a motorist to drive him to Champs-Élysées before releasing him. The attacks set off a manhunt in search of the gunman, who was later apprehended.
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Victim
A 27-year-old photographer was critically injured in the chest and the stomach at Libération.
Suspect
Parisian prosecutor François Molins said that a lone gunman was behind the three attacks and the hijacking. On November 20, French authorities arrested Abdelhakim Dekhar in Bois-Colombes on suspicion of carrying out the gun attacks. Authorities said DNA and video evidence indicated he was responsible for all the attacks. They said that prior to his arrest, Dekhar consumed drugs in a possible suicide attempt.
In 1998, Dekhar was sentenced to 4 years in prison for having bought a gun in the Rey-Maupin affair. A former Algerian officer, Dekhar pleaded his innocence in the case, stating that he had been recruited by the Algerian secret services to infiltrate the French far-left. He was released soon after his verdict, having served much of the time pre-verdict. French authorities believe he subsequently lived in Britain for several years.
After the 2013 arrest, the police found two letters allegedly written by Dekhar where he condemned capitalism and wrote about an alleged fascist plot that was helped by "media manipulation of the masses".