5 years ago France lived, as today, to the rhythm of the presidential election. A few days before the first round, on April 20, 2017, the campaign was however marked by the assassination of police captain Xavier Jugelé, killed on the Champs-Elysées.
Today a candidate for re-election, Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the policeman on Twitter. “On the Avenue des Champs-Elysées five years ago, police captain Xavier Jugelé faced a terrorist. The Nation was about to lose one of its heroes hired to protect us. We don’t forget,” he wrote.
On the Avenue des Champs-Élysées five years ago, police captain Xavier Jugelé faced a terrorist. The Nation was about to lose one of its heroes hired to protect us. We do not forget.
—Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 20, 2022
Tribute to Captain Xavier Jugelé, cowardly assassinated by Islamist terrorism on April 20, 2017 on the Champs-Élysées. France will never forget.
Thoughts to his family, loved ones and colleagues. pic.twitter.com/eGv7i1Nd5L
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) April 20, 2022
Others have followed in the footsteps of the Head of State, like the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, who published a video of the ceremony organized today in memory of this 37-year-old man, “victim of terrorism in the performance of his duty”. The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, also paid tribute to the policeman on Twitter.
At the time of his assassination by Karim Cheurfi, on April 20, 2017, Xavier Jugelé was driving a police van parked at the top of the Champs-Elysées. The assailant shot him dead and injured three other people: two policemen and a German tourist. Karim Cheurfi had already been sentenced in 2015 to 15 years in prison for attempted murder of police officers.
An attack claimed by Daesh
Coming three days before the first round of the 2017 presidential election, the assassination of Xavier Jugelé had hardened the end of the campaign and put the debates on the fight against terrorism back in the spotlight. A “letter of claim” had indeed been found on the remains of Karim Cheurfi, shot dead by the police, and the attack had subsequently been claimed by Daesh.
Four men have been tried for the death of Xavier Jugelé. The main defendant, Nourredine Allam, was implicated for having provided the Kalashnikov to the killer. On June 17, 2021, he was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment, two-thirds of which were security. If the assassination of Xavier Jugelé was indeed identified as a terrorist attack, this qualification was not however retained concerning the facts reproached to Nourredine Allam.
The latter had initially bought the Kalashnikov from two other defendants, who were also found guilty. Yanis Aidouni was sentenced to six years in prison and Mohammed Bouguerra to five. The last defendant appeared free for having possessed the weapon and was finally acquitted.