Gérald Darmanin rewards the police officers who intervened during the Arras attack

The Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin distinguished, Monday in Arras, the nine police officers who intervened “at the risk of their lives” to control a radicalized young person who had just killed professor Dominique Bernard, on October 13, 2023, at the Gambetta high school. Brigadier-chief, peacekeepers or deputy police: during a ceremony in the courtyard of the prefecture in Arras in Pas-de-Calais, the minister presented them with the “medal of courage and dedication”, elevating six of them to the rank of knight of the Legion of Honor.

“You neutralized the terrorist, you prevented the assassination from turning into a killing, you protected and rescued teachers, agents, children at the risk of your life,” declared the minister, addressing the police. , “hero of Arras”, in white uniform, in the presence of their families.

Police officers “proud” to receive this decoration

The minister returned to this morning of October 13: at 11 a.m., “the 17th received a frightened call mentioning a terrorist who had entered the Gambetta high school” and “which mentioned victims, knives, a murderer still in the courtyard “. At 11:04 a.m., “two emergency police crews and a group of local police arrived. The terrorist rushed at the police, screaming his hatred, brandishing the blades,” said Gérald Darmanin.

Controlled after two electric pulse gun shots, handcuffed, “it was 11:09 a.m. when he was taken into custody”, recalls the minister. “A teacher is dead, there are wounded, blood, terrorized young people, screams, tears, a city in mourning, a nation affected,” recalled Gérald Darmanin, referring to “Islamist barbarity”.

Gérald Darmanin decorated nine police officers.

For Brigadier-Chief David Buzyn, one of the police officers made a knight of the Legion of Honor, “it is not easy to receive all the merits after what happened on the day of the tragedy, but we let’s accept it, we are proud of it. It’s a great recognition of France, of the country. People consider us heroes but for me the real heroes are the people there before us who acted to slow down the terrorist “, he says at the microphone of Europe 1.

Five months after the attack, he said he and his colleagues were marked by “the scenery that they discovered when they entered the high school, the blood, the injured. Obviously, sleep is still difficult. It’s very striking. We’re still thinking about it,” he explained at the microphone of Europe 1. Mohammed Mogouchkov, 20 years old, was indicted and imprisoned by an anti-terrorist investigating judge four days after the attack he had claimed in the name of the Islamic State (IS) organization.

© Maximilien Carlier / Europe 1

Six police officers were elevated to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor.