International
French police are hunting a lone gunman on the loose in central Paris after he opened fire at the offices of a newspaper and a major bank before hijacking a car to take him to the famous Champs-Elysees.
The attacker, who police said was filmed by video-surveillance cameras, fired shots on Monday at the office of Liberation newspaper, seriously injuring a photographer's assistant before fleeing, police and staff at the newspaper said.
About 90 minutes later, he opened fire outside the headquarters of the Societe Generale bank in the La Defense business district, six miles west of the city center, police and a spokeswoman for the bank said.
Shortly afterwards, the same man hijacked a car nearby and forced the driver to drop him on the Champs-Elysees in central Paris, the driver told police.
Police said the description of the robber fitted that of the gunman, who was armed with a hunting rifle or similar weapon. Cartridges found after both attacks also matched.
A police helicopter hovered over the Champs-Elysees area to help in the manhunt.
Earlier, Fabrice Rousselot, the managing editor of Liberation, said witnesses described the assailant as a short-haired man in his 40s. Police said he was "of European type."
Police were deployed outside the offices of other media businesses in the French capital Monday.
The mid-morning incidents came days after an armed intruder entered the offices of the BFM TV channel, threatening journalists before disappearing. Police said video surveillance footage showed it was the same man.
The Associated Press
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