Imagine you are a soldier working patrol at a Paris airport. It is like any other day with your other patrol officers at your side. Then, a man tackles you attempting to take your gun. One of your comrades shoots the attacker and you survive. This is what happened on the morning of March 18th, when a man shot a police officer, carjacked a new vehicle, and attempted to steal an officer's weapon at the Paris Orly Airport.
The Traffic Stop The suspect, who was identified as Ziyed Ben Belgacem, was shot dead after shouting, “I am here to die in the name of Allah ... There will be deaths," (Allah is an Islamic god). Before the attempted attack at the Paris Orly Airport, the suspect shot an officer at a traffic stop when asked for identification. Le Roux, an Interior Minister, stated “The officer injured at the traffic stop is undergoing treatment but is not seriously injured.” (“Paris Orly Airport attack assailant declared ‘I am here to die for Allah’”).
The Orly Airport Next, Ziyed set off to to steal a new vehicle at gunpoint. Then, he headed to the Paris Orly Airport. When he arrived to the Orly Airport he tackled a female solider and wrestled with her in attempt to take her weapon. The female’s fellow soldiers shot and killed the attacker in order to protect the officer and the public. (“Paris airport attack: Prosecutors say attacker was monitored for suspected Islamic extremism”). Later that day, President François Hollande stated, "I want to salute the courage and the exceptional behavior of the security forces who managed to put away the individual and to do so in an extremely complex situation because this occurred in Orly Airport," (Almasy & Bell & Smith- Sparks). Many politicians also praised the response of the officers. Effects of the Attempted Attack After the attempted attack on the soldier and the officer, travel in the airport was temporarily shut down. The Paris Orly Airport is Paris’s second busiest airport. “Travel for about 2,000 people had been severely disrupted, the president of Paris Airports, Augustin de Romanet stated.” (“Paris Orly Airport attack assailant declared ‘I am here to die for Allah”). Passengers that were on planes coming into the airport were not allowed to disembark while other travelers evacuated the airport. Ziyed Ben Belgacem had also been known to police for nine instances of armed robbery and drug trafficking along with being imprisoned several times. (“Paris Airport Attack”).
In conclusion, a massacre was averted on the morning of March 18th, due to the quick thinking of the two soldiers at the airport. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured in the attempted attack. The attacker was not able to carry out his plan and all travelers, along with the employees, at the airport got to walk away with their lives.