On Thursday night, a gunman opened fire in Paris on the Champs-Élysées, killing one police officer and severely wounding two, according to the Associated Press.
After the gunman opened fire, he attempted to flee on foot and was shot dead by an officer.
This attack comes right before the highly anticipated French Presidential election. According to The New York Times, analysts believe an attack like this one could cause people to vote for the candidate “perceived as tougher on crime and terrorism.”
Immediately following the Thursday night attack, French policemen and soldiers closed off the heavily populated area. Many tourists who emerged from restaurants and stores, completely unaware of the attack, were searched by police and military personnel.
According to the AP, police say the attacker was likely acting alone, and directed his attacks towards police patrolling the tourist-heavy Franklin Roosevelt Subway station.
Just after midnight, the Islamic State declared they were behind the attack in a message posted on a jihad channel.
Peter R. Neumann, the director of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence at King’s College London, told the Times that the speed with which ISIS claimed responsibility made it seem like they really did plan the attack.
Sadly, of course, this is not the first terrorist attack Paris has endured in the past couple of years. In 2015, 128 Parisians were killed in a series of mass shootings and suicide bombers, heightening the fear of another attack on the City of Love.
As the premises were secured, and the gunman was identified, President François Hollande addressed the fearful nation and offered his condolences and admiration for the police force. “It has been the case for a number of months, and we will have absolute vigilance when it comes to the elections,” he said, “but everyone will understand that at this hour, my thoughts are with the family of the police who were killed and with those close to the wounded policeman.”