A man entered the Angoulême town hall with a can of gasoline to set it on fire on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. The suspect was neutralized while a police and rescue operation is underway.
A man tried to set fire to the Angoulême town hall this Wednesday, August 21 at midday. The individual entered the building with a can of gasoline and “headed towards the elected officials’ office” reports a witness to the Free Charente. The suspect was, however, neutralized by the police after city hall employees raised the alarm. The municipal police officers, already present on the scene, had to use a firearm to stop the arsonist and injured him. The man was taken care of and evacuated by emergency services. Apart from the suspect, no one was injured. The resigning Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, expressed his support for the mayor of Angoulême.
Support for the Mayor of Angoulême @xavierbonnefont and elected officials after an individual set fire to the town hall before being neutralized by the municipal police. No injuries except the perpetrator. Thanks to the public officials for the rapid emergency interventions.
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) August 21, 2024
The incident took place around 12:30 p.m.: the suspect parked his vehicle in front of the town hall before entering the building where he poured gasoline. Witnesses employed at the town hall described a “man in military fatigues, quite strong, with a can” and indicated that “the fire alarm went off less than five minutes after” his arrival. “There was smoke from the side of the elected officials’ building and we heard gunshots, without knowing if it came from the police or from the man in military uniform,” the witnesses added to Charente Libre.
A suspect “unknown to the police”
An investigation has been opened, announced the prefect of Charente, Jérôme Harnois, in a press briefing early this afternoon. The suspect is a 46-year-old man, of French nationality and “completely unknown to the specialist services,” he specified. According to the sequence of events, the police officers were on site when they were alerted by the assistants who witnessed the scene and first tried to “control the individual with a tonfa, and given the virulence of the individual, used their firearm several times.” As for the fire that broke out in the town hall of Angoulême, it was “quickly” brought under control according to the prefect of Charente and the mayor of Angoulême, Xavier Bonnefont.
Mine clearers on site
The vehicle of the neutralized individual is still parked in front of the town hall. According to the local newspaper, inscriptions in Arabic repeating the prayer for the dead are visible. Bomb disposal experts are expected on site to inspect the vehicle and the surrounding area. A major police operation is also underway in the city center of Angoulême and the town hall has been evacuated. The area around the building is cordoned off and residents are asked to avoid the area. The mayor of Angoulême specified that the “security perimeter is maintained around the town hall until further notice.”
Latest updates
15:45 – Four offices affected by the fire.. Details from the mayor of Angoulême
At least two elected officials’ assistants were present in the Angoulême town hall, and more specifically in the office targeted by the attacker, during the midday assault on the building. According to the town’s mayor, the employees described the attacker’s “dark look”. The mayor re-examined the sequence of events on Franceinfo and indicated that the man, although he did not cause any injuries, did indeed spread gasoline in the premises despite the presence of the employees and managed to start a fire that affected four offices in the town hall.
15:41 – The suspect “forced his way” into Angoulême town hall
According to the mayor (Horizons) of Angoulême, Xavier Bonnefont, the man who set fire to the town hall “managed to enter [les lieux] by forcing the passage”.
15:24 – An employee of the Angoulême town hall could be the target of the suspect
The assailant who set fire to the Angoulême town hall is said to have targeted in particular one of the two assistants from the elected officials’ office present at the time of the incident, according to La Charente Libre, which also suggests a “family dispute” according to initial reports. The suspect’s motives are still unclear at this time.
15:13 – The vital prognosis of the engaged suspect
Only the man who set fire to the Angoulême town hall was injured. The fire, which was quickly brought under control, caused no casualties, but the suspect was hit by police gunfire before being arrested. Faced with the man’s “virulence”, the municipal police opened fire, the prefect of Charente said at a press briefing. According to information from franceinfothe suspect was taken care of and hospitalized, but his life is in danger.
15:08 – A search of the suspect’s home
The suspect, a French national, is 46 years old and is not known to the police, the prefect of Charente said. An investigation has been opened after the attempt to set fire to the town hall of Angoulême and a search of the individual’s home is being carried out, reports BFMTVHis vehicle, parked in front of the town hall, must be inspected by bomb disposal experts.