France: Car rams police van on Champs Elysées in Paris June 19; avoid area /update 1

Event

At approximately 16:00 (local time) on Monday, June 19, a car rammed into a police van on the Avenue des Champs Elysées in Paris, in what appears to have been a failed terrorist attack. The driver of the vehicle is reportedly dead; no other casualties have been reported. According to the French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, who addressed the media shortly after the incident on Monday afternoon, the alleged attacker's car contained weapons and explosives. French authorities have opened an anti-terror investigation into the incident. The area surrounding the incident has been cordoned off and metro stations Concorde (lines 1, 8, 12) and Champs Elysées Clemenceau (lines 1, 13) remain closed. Although the situation is reportedly contained, a significant security presence remains in place and people have been advised to avoid the area.

Context

France has been under a state of emergency since the November 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in the Paris region that killed 130 people. A series of incidents targeting French security forces have taken place in the French capital in recent months. On June 6, a man armed with a hammer targeted a police officer in front of Notre Dame Cathedral; the officer was lightly wounded and the assailant was shot and killed. On April 20, a shooting targeting French police on the Avenue des Champs Elysées left one officer dead; the assailant was killed. In March, an armed man briefly took a French soldier hostage at Orly Airport before being shot dead.

Advice

All those present in Paris are advised to monitor developments to the situation, to avoid the area of the Champs Elysées while police operations and investigations are ongoing, and to adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.