A fugitive gunman was still on the run in Paris yesterday after he was involved in three armed incidents at separate locations in the city.
CCTV footage released by Paris police showed the suspect – carrying a rifle – descending stairs at a TV station as he starts his campaign of terror.
He calmly fired two shots into the floor, terrifying reception staff and visitors, before fleeing.
The incident, on Friday, was repeated at the offices of the left-wing newspaper Liberation, on Monday morning, but with dire consequences.
On this occasion, he seriously wounded a photographic assistant, who last night remained in a critical, but stable condition.
Less than two hours later shots were fired at the headquarters of a major bank, Societe Generale, and a man driving a car nearby was hijacked, although the gunman released him later.
There were rumours that he was carrying hand grenades and the city’s normally busy streets were eerily quieter than normal yesterday.
Several CCTV images of the man, thought to be between 35 and 45, are being examined by investigating officers.
They have not yet identified him, or his motives, as the hunt intensifies, although they have traces of his DNA from the hijacked car.
Another image of the suspect was released yesterday, taken at the central Concorde Metro station, near the Champs-Elysees on Monday.
President of France, Francois Hollande warned that the gunman “could still kill at any time”.
Meanwhile, speculation in the French media has suggested many theories regarding the gunman and his motives.
The general consensus appears to be that he has been influenced by an underlying anger among the country’s residents – many are said to be anti- government, anti-establishment and anti-mainstream media.