France Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Armoured & Luxury

Knife attack on soldier in Paris treated as terrorism

May 28, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

French anti-terrorist investigators are handling the case of a soldier stabbed while on duty near Paris on Saturday evening, prosecutors have confirmed.

The soldier was wounded while on patrol in La Defense, a business district west of the French capital.

Private First Class Cedric Cordier was approached from behind and stabbed in the neck with a small-bladed knife.

Defence Minister Jean Yves Le Drian told reporters that he had been targeted because of his profession.

His attacker, said to be a bearded man of North African origin, escaped and a police hunt is under way.

President Francois Hollande said there was no sign so far of a direct link with the killing of a soldier in London on Wednesday, for which two suspected Islamists were arrested.

French army in key Mali withdrawal

May 28, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

France has begun a key stage of its military withdrawal from Mali, four months after sending troops to push Islamist rebels out from the north.

A convoy of dozens of lorries left a base outside the capital, Bamako, on its way south to Ivory Coast.

France began withdrawing some of its 4,000 troops from the country in April.

They plan to gradually hand over to the Malian army and a UN peacekeeping force, which will deploy in July ahead of planned nationwide elections.

Saturday’s withdrawal comes just two days after Islamist rebels targeted an army barracks and French-run uranium mine in neighbouring Niger, killing 21 people. French special forces helped Nigerien soldiers end a hostage siege at the barracks on Friday.

It is not known if the attacks will affect French troop deployments.

French court questions IMF chief Christine Lagarde

May 23, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

French judges in Paris have been questioning IMF chief Christine Lagarde over a controversial payout made to a tycoon when she was finance minister.

She is being asked to explain her handling of a dispute in 2007 which resulted in some 400m euros (£342m; $516m) being paid to Bernard Tapie.

She appeared before the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR), which investigates ministerial misconduct.

The IMF chief insists the award was the best solution at the time.

She could be placed under formal investigation for the decision to use arbitration, against advice from senior advisers, to settle a long-running court battle between the state and Mr Tapie, a supporter of the then French President, Nicolas Sarkozy.