Indeed.

However, going after state targets would lead me to suspect a right-winger.

Or an anarchist. I'm not sure if that makes someone left or right wing, it's a bit 'on a different scale'.

Latests is French police have managed to corner a suspect in an apartment block. Shots have been fired. Bloke is holed up and they're now apparently trying to talk him out. I suspect that's not going to work to be honest...

Jon

These things rarely end with the perp. coming out alive. Either they shoot themselves, or the police do. No one has much sympathy either way, and I would think that if the police did shoot him, there’d be a feeling of justice having been done.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17446999

So we have that kind of nutter. If this is true, I expect he’ll not survive the day.

That'll be a loss to the world.

Blasts at scene of Toulouse gunman siege
'Three explosions have been heard at a block of flats in the French city of Toulouse where a man suspected of killing seven people has been holed up. The city's deputy mayor confirmed an assault on the flat, surrounded by police for nearly 24 hours, had begun. The blasts were accompanied by flashes of orange light.'

My assumption is they've got bored of waiting and have lobbed a few flash bangs into wherever he's holed up. I'd further assume they've now stormed the apartment and they probably weren't all that picky about taking him alive.

Jon

According to the radio this morning, they don't know if he's still alive in there.

Just what I was thinking.

What happened to infra-red imaging and all that high tech stuff they use these days?

Dead now, according to a police source. More here.

The reports I saw at lunch time were ridiculously confused, but I'd especially love to know how he allegedly came running out of the bathroom firing a gun in each hand at the police, before managing to jump out of a window while still firing

The French police were also trying to intimidate him with explosions apparently (I'm guessing via Jon's method above), but the only person who was really left confused was the deputy mayor... Anyone else suspect the French police seriously fcuked it up?

I'm absolutely certain they did (personally, I think he may have had some help jumping out of that window, but that's just my guess) However, I don't expect anyone to actually care in the long run. He was a very bad man and he wound up dead. Many people will see that as a satisfactory outcome. I don't honestly expect the French authorities to shed many tears over whether they could have done it all better. The French have a much more.. realpolitik attitude toward these things than we do.

Jon

Still, the the American news networks are clearly on the ball again.

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch


And in case any of you had any doubts over the accuracy of the above, here is an “info graphic” putting a few things right.

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch

No way that is real, even Fox news aren't that bad (are they?).

Funny though.

Sadly, it's a fake. The original was about the presidential primaries. It did, however, include a photo of Sarah Palin, but it was Tina Fey doing her impression of Palin.