The Local France

French police set to get greater powers to open fire

Wed, 21 Dec 2016 14:01:22 +0100

Police in France look likely to get a new set of rules that will give them wider scope to open fire when they feel threatened or under attack.

German court jails man who tried to smuggle guns to Paris

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 16:04:41 +0200

A Montenegrin man was handed a four-year jail sentence in Germany on Thursday for heading to Paris with assault rifles and explosives hidden in his car shortly before the November attacks.

Guns in France: Now security guards could be armed

Fri, 04 Mar 2016 17:08:46 +0100

After local and off duty police were encouraged to carry guns, now security guards in France could be given the right to bear arms, as the government hopes more weapons may be the answer to the increased terror threat.

Paris police to be equipped with assault rifles

Mon, 29 Feb 2016 17:59:15 +0100

Parisian police will be given assault rifles and Kalashnikov-resistant shields in a first for the French capital's officers nearly four months after a devastating terror attack killed 130 people, the interior minister said on Monday.

German arms trader 'sold rifles for Paris attack'

Fri, 27 Nov 2015 10:15:52 +0100

An arms dealer from southern Germany has been arrested on suspicion of supplying the weapons used in the Paris terrorist attacks, German media reported on Friday.

Iran deal - UN resolution to come 'in days': France

Tue, 14 Jul 2015 15:06:26 +0200

UPDATED: The UN Security Council is expected to pass a resolution within days approving a historic nuclear deal reached between Iran and major world powers, France's foreign minister said on Tuesday. French President François Hollande welcomed the deal.

French arms export boom boosts economy

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 10:39:22 +0200

While other areas of the French economy continue to struggle the country's arms industry is positively booming, new figures show.

France holds 45 in arms trafficking arrests

Mon, 02 Dec 2013 14:47:00 +0100

France arrested 45 people on Monday in a large-scale operation against international arms traffickers, suspected of importing hundreds of military-grade weapons from the Balkans since 2009.

France confirms Assad used sarin gas in Syria

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:53:00 +0200

France's foreign minister Laurent Fabius has claimed he has "no doubt" sarin gas was used by the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, after samples were brought back to France by two journalists. "All options are on the table," said Fabius.

French ballistic missile self-destructs during test

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:36:05 +0200

A French M51 submarine-launched ballistic missile has self-destructed during testing off the coast of Brittany. The incident marks a rare failure for such a missile, estimated to cost around €120 million.

Homeless Parisian finds 'weapons of war' in bin

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:06:00 +0200

A homeless man in Paris was left flabbergasted when he stumbled across an arsenal of “weapons of war” in a rubbish bin in the French capital, including live grenades and a military-grade mortar shell. The bomb disposal unit were called in.

Police forget terrorists' guns in hotel

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:20:00 +0100

Police left bags of evidence, including guns and forged identity papers, in a hotel after arresting suspected ETA terrorists who were staying there.

France supplying arms to Libya rebels: report

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:37:00 +0200

France has begun parachuting arms shipments to Berber rebels fighting Libyan leader Moamar Qaddafi's forces in the highlands south of Tripoli, the French daily Le Figaro reported on Wednesday.