Paris prosecutors open attempted murder probe after petrol bomb attack on police

Paris prosecutors have opened an attempted murder investigation after petrol bombs were thrown at police and gendarmes during a weekend of protests against the cost of living, the prosecutor's office told the AFP news agency on Sunday.

The office said "explosive devices were thrown at around 15 gendarmes as well as police officers". The inquiry was opened for "attempted murder of persons vested with public authority". Gendarmes are military police who form part of the French armed forces.

No suspects had been arrested in connection with the attack, the prosecutor's office said, and investigators were working to identify those responsible. An assessment of the injured was still under way, and the reported injuries include second-degree burns.

The Paris police prefecture said several hundred rioters attacked security forces with projectiles, including a Molotov cocktail, on Saturday. Footage published by AFP showed a homemade incendiary device exploding at the feet of an officer in eastern Paris and engulfing his lower body in flames. The gendarme who was struck told the television channel BFM of burns that left "skin that stings", and of a "rain" of projectiles thrown at his unit.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the level of violence from some rioters was "extraordinary". Police said more than 770 people were arrested over the weekend, and the interior ministry reported "no major incidents" late on Saturday.

The clashes followed a third weekend of demonstrations against soaring living costs, which drew hundreds of thousands of people into the streets of Paris and other cities.

Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader, wrote on X that those responsible for the firebomb attack must be "punished with the utmost severity", describing images of the burning officer as "unbearable".

CCI France, the national chambers of commerce and industry, said about 20 businesses were damaged during Saturday's protests, far fewer than in previous weekends. It said it was concerned about the effect on retail trade before the year-end holiday season, a peak sales period for shops.

Initial complaints in the case were expected to be filed on Sunday, prosecutors said.