The home of the mayor of a small town in the Paris region was hit by a car attack on Saturday night, injuring his wife and one of his two young children, the elected official said.
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An attempted murder investigation has been launched, a court source told AFP.
Vincent Jeanbrun, mayor of the Parisian suburb of L’Haÿ-les-Roses, denounced “an unspeakable attempt at cowardice” in a press release published on Twitter.
Around 1:30 am (Saturday 23:30 GMT), while he was staying at City Hall for “about three nights” to crack down on the violence in the city, “rioters threw a pile driver at (his) house before they set it on fire to set fire to[his]house,” he said in a statement posted to Twitter.
AFP
His wife and “two small children” slept there, he said.
According to the mayor, the woman and one of the children were injured while trying to “protect” the family and “escape from the attackers.”
His wife “was injured in the knee and is currently in the hospital, and one of the children received minor injuries,” the mayor’s entourage told AFP. “Both children are very, very shocked,” it said.
AFP
According to the same source, the perpetrators not only set fire to the ram vehicle, but also that of the family, before they were put to flight by the police and the fire brigade “intervened” “very quickly”.
“It was with horror and shame that a milestone was passed last night,” the mayor of the city of more than 30,000 said in his press release. “If my priority today is to provide for my family, my determination to protect and serve the Republic is stronger than ever,” he continues.