The man who crashed a car full of guns, ammunition and explosives into a police van Monday in Paris obtained an arms permit despite being on a terror watch list.
Adam D., 31, attacked police on Champs-Elysees in central Paris, killing no one but himself. His car contained an assault rifle, two pistols and two large gas canisters. Investigators discovered more weapons during a search of the man’s home following the attack.
The suspect has been on a watch list since 2015 over ties to “the radical Islamist movement,” AFP reported Tuesday. His status did not prevent him from obtaining an arms permit and registering weapons in his name. His father told AFP that he regularly practiced at a shooting range.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe was surprised to hear people on the watch list are eligible to legally obtain weapons.
“No one can be satisfied that someone who has been officially flagged up can benefit from this authorization [to carry arms],” Philippe told BFM TV.
Authorities evacuated the area around the attack site on Champs-Elysees. The attack took place just yards from where a jihadist killed a police officer in late April. France has been in a state of emergency since November 2015 following a string of terror attacks.
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