French prosecutors launched an attempted murder investigation after petrol bombs were thrown at police during nationwide unrest. The clashes occurred as demonstrators took to the streets in cities across France for the third weekend in a row.
The violence prompted the deployment of thousands of police officers nationwide over the weekend following previous incidents of clashes and looting. Officers fired tear gas at demonstrators in several cities as unrest persisted.
Police reported that no suspects had yet been arrested for the specific petrol bomb attack caught on camera that set an officer on fire.
The French interior ministry said there were more than 770 arrests on Saturday, which was roughly half as many as the previous week's demonstrations. A police unit that was supposed to be on leave had been urgently recalled to handle the weekend protests."We faced hostile individuals who are not protesters,"an official said regarding the weekend's security challenges.
Prosecutors in France have launched an attempted murder investigation after petrol bombs were thrown at police during unrest, French media reported.
There were more than 770 arrests on Saturday, roughly half as many as the previous week's protests, the French interior ministry said.
There were hundreds of arrests as protesters took to the streets in cities across France for the third weekend in a row.
Following previous clashes and looting, thousands of police officers were deployed across the country over the weekend, and officers fired tear gas at demonstrators in some cities.
The unit was supposed to be on leave but had been urgently recalled to police the weekend protests, he said.
But police said no one had been arrested for the attack caught on camera that set a police officer on fire, reported.