Image copyright AFP / GENDARMERIE NATIONALE Image caption Lt-Col Arnaud Beltrame was killed after swapping himself for a hostage in a siege in south-west France

A former French left-wing parliamentary candidate has been arrested over his tweets about a policeman killed during a jihadist siege in southern France last week.

Stéphane Poussier appeared to celebrate the death of Lt-Col Arnaud Beltrame, saying it was great.

He added that the death in the town of Trèbes meant one less voter for President Emmanuel Macron.

French media say he could be charged with apologising for terrorism.

Mr Poussier's Twitter account has since been deleted. It is unclear if this action was taken by him or the platform, after the tweets caused an outcry and were reported by other social media users.

The ex-candidate said the death made him think of a friend, activist Remi Fraisse, who died after police threw a concussion grenade during protests in 2014.

Col Beltrame, 44, died after being shot when a jihadist stormed a supermarket in Trèbes on Friday.

He has been hailed as a national hero after trading places with one of the hostages.

He will be honoured in a national memorial in Paris in the coming days.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "This was a heroic act" on the part of the lieutenant-colonel, says Interior Minister Gérard Collomb

Friday's attack - which killed four people - was the worst jihadist attack under Emmanuel Macron's presidency.

The maximum penalty for apology for terrorist acts is seven years in prison and a fine of €100,000 (£90,000; $120,000), according to Le Monde newspaper.

Stéphane Poussier stood as a candidate for La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), the far-left party led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, during legislative elections in 2017.

The party has expelled Mr Poussier, calling his tweets "shameful and abject".

Mr Mélenchon also tweeted to condemn the "disgusting" remarks and to praise Col Beltrame for giving his life for the service of others.</s>The Latest on the extremist attack in southern France (all times local):

U.S. President Donald Trump is tweeting his support for the victims of a deadly shooting in southern France that killed four people.

Trump says Saturday on Twitter from his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, that he condemns "the violent actions of the attacker and anyone who would provide him support."

Trump tweets "we are with you @EmmanuelMacron!"

Among the dead in southern France was a police officer who offered himself up Friday to an Islamic extremist gunman in exchange for a hostage during the attack.

Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron are meeting in Washington on April 24 for the first state visit of Trump's presidency. The French leader, who has already put in place stronger police measures since being elected in May, is expected to address a joint session of Congress the following day.

A French judicial official says three homemade explosive devices have been found in the supermarket in southern France that was the site of a deadly attack by a man calling himself "a soldier" of the Islamic State group.

Also found were a 7.65-caliber handgun and a hunting knife, the official said on Saturday. He wasn't authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation.

The supermarket in Trebes was the site of an hours-long attack Friday that killed four people. The 25-year-old Moroccan-born attacker was himself killed when special police stormed the market.

It wasn't clear whether the knife and handgun found were the weapons he wielded when entering the supermarket.

A judicial official says French police searching the home of the man responsible for a deadly rampage in southern France have found notes referring to the Islamic State group that appeared to be a final testament.

Also found in the search of the home were a computer and telephone, the official said Saturday, a day after the attack. He was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and couldn't be named.

Police searched the home of Moroccan-born Redouane Lakdim, 25, after Friday's attack that killed four people — two in a supermarket near the southern city of Carcassonne where the attacker was killed in an assault. The fourth victim, a gendarme who stood in for a female hostage and was shot, died early Saturday.

The official says there apparently was no mention in the notes of the attack plans.

France is mourning the death of a courageous police officer who offered himself up to an Islamic extremist gunman in exchange for a hostage during an attack on a supermarket.

Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame, a 44-year-old gendarme, died from his injuries after the attacker shot him. Flags are at half-staff at all French gendarmeries.

Hashtag #ArnaudBeltrame has been the most used on Twitter in France, with many social media users paying tribute to a "hero" who gave his life to save others.

Residents of Carcassonne and the nearby town of Trebes, where the supermarket attack took place, are placing flowers in front of the gendarmerie local headquarters.

Marie Kerboull, resident of Carcassone, said she her flowers were meant to be a show of support "the family. He is our hero."

Marie Castelles, of Trebes, said "the military, the police officers, I would like to give them a big homage."

The manager of a supermarket in southern France that was attacked by an extremist gunman has praised the officer who exchanged himself for a hostage as a hero who saved her co-worker's life.

The manager, who identified herself only by her first name, Samia, said that her co-worker was in a "catastrophic state" after the death of the officer, Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame.

Beltrame had offered himself up unarmed to the 25-year-old attacker in exchange for a female hostage in the southern town of Trebes. The attacker shot him and Beltrame later died of his injuries.

A total of four people were killed in the attack in the supermarket in Trebes, and in a carjacking beforehand in a nearby town. The gunman was also killed when police stormed the supermarket.

The brother of a French police officer who was killed after he swapped himself for a hostage during an Islamic extremist attack on a supermarket says that he has died a hero.

Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame had offered himself up unarmed to the 25-year-old attacker in exchange for a female hostage in the southern town of Trebes. The attacker shot him and Beltrame later died of his injuries.

Cedric Beltrame told RTL radio Saturday his brother "gave his life for strangers."

He added that his brother "was well aware he had almost no chance. He was very aware of what he was doing." Cedric Beltrame also stressed that his brother kept his professional reflexes. The officer managed to surreptitiously leave his cellphone on so that police outside could hear what was going on inside the supermarket.

Cedric Beltrame said that "if we don't describe him as a hero, I don't know what you need to do to be a hero. It's a word I think is appropriate for him in such tragic circumstances."

The gunman was killed when police stormed the supermarket after hearing shots.

The manager of a French supermarket attacked by an Islamic extremist gunman says she felt "helpless" as he fired shots in her store.

The woman, who would identify herself only by her first name, Samia, says she was in her office when she heard the shots. She came downstairs saw what was happening and called police. She said she helped evacuate as many people as possible.

She said from inside city hall, where the local government had set up a crisis center, that "it was terrifying."

A total of four people were killed in the attack, including a French police officer who exchanged himself for a female hostage in the Super U market and later died of his injuries. The gunman was also killed when police stormed the supermarket.

The Paris prosecutors' office says that police have detained a 17-year-old in connection with the investigation into the Islamic extremist attack that killed four people, including a police officer, in southern France.

The unidentified young man was arrested overnight over alleged criminal association in relation with a terrorist enterprise. He is a friend of the gunman, identified by prosecutors as Morocco-born Redouane Lakdim, who was killed when police stormed a supermarket in Trebes where he took hostages.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Friday that another person, a woman close to Lakdim, was taken into custody on the same grounds. Molins didn't identify her.

Paris counterterrorism investigators took over the probe into the attack in Trebes and nearby Carcassonne.

The mother of a French police officer who was killed after he swapped himself for a hostage during an Islamic extremist attack on a supermarket says that she wasn't surprised by her son's courage.

Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame had offered himself up unarmed to the 25-year-old attacker in exchange for a female hostage in the southern town of Trebes. The attacker shot him and Beltrame later died of his injures.

Beltrame's mother told RTL radio Friday night before the announcement of his death that "I'm not surprised. I knew it had to be him. He has always been like that. It's someone, since he was born, who gives everything for his homeland."

Asked if she was proud of him, she said he would have told her "'I'm doing my job mom, that's all.'"

She said to "defend the homeland" was his "reason for living." RTL didn't give her name.

France's top security official says a heroic officer who swapped himself for a hostage during an attack on a supermarket has died of his injuries.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb wrote in a tweet early Saturday that Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame had "died for his country."

Beltrame offered himself up unarmed to the 25-year-old attacker in exchange for a female hostage. He managed to surreptitiously leave his cellphone on so that police outside could hear what was going on inside the supermarket. Officials said once they heard shots inside the market they decided to storm it, killing the gunman.

Beltrame was grievously injured, and his death raises the toll from the attack to four.

The Islamic State-linked Aamaq news agency said the attacker was responding to the group's calls to target countries in the U.S.-led coalition. The attack was the deadliest since Emmanuel Macron became president last May.</s>RENNES, FRANCE (AFP) - A left-wing French politician has been arrested over a tweet apparently celebrating the death of a policeman who was hailed a hero after he took the place of a hostage and was killed by an Islamist gunman.

Police arrested Stephane Poussier at his home in Dives-sur-Mer, north-west France, on Sunday (March 25) after he sent two tweets welcoming the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame.

"Whenever a policeman is shot... I think of my friend Remi Fraisse," Poussier said on Twitter, referring to an environmental activist killed by a stun grenade fired by police during a 2014 protest over a dam.

"And this time it was a colonel, great! Additionally, it means one less Macron voter," he added.

Lt Col Beltrame was shot and stabbed to death after offering himself in exchange for a woman being used as a human shield by Radouane Lakdim, who had already killed three other people in a rampage on Friday.

A national tribute is to be held for Lt Col Beltrame, who President Emmanuel Macron said had "died a hero".

Poussier's remarks provoked strong reactions and his Twitter account was disabled.

"Stephane Poussier is in custody since 11.30 this morning for justifying acts of terrorism after comments published yesterday on his Twitter account," local prosecutor David Pamart confirmed to AFP late on Sunday.

He could face up to seven years in prison and a fine of 100,000 euros (S$162,280).

Poussier stood unsuccessfully in elections last year as a candidate for the La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party of radical leftwinger Jean-Luc Melenchon.

His comments were condemned by the party and Mr Melenchon, who said on Twitter that it would on Monday file a complaint against him for justifying terrorism.</s>A left-wing French politician has been arrested over a tweet apparently celebrating the death of a policeman who was hailed a hero after he took the place of a hostage and was killed by a jihadist gunman.

Police arrested Stephane Poussier at his home in Dives-sur-Mer, northwest France, on Sunday after he sent two tweets welcoming the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame.

"Whenever a policeman is shot... I think of my friend Remi Fraisse," Poussier said on Twitter, referring to an environmental activist killed by a stun grenade fired by police during a 2014 protest over a dam.

"And this time it was a colonel, great! Additionally, it means one less Macron voter," he added.

A national tribute is to be held for Beltrame, who President Emmanuel Macron said had "died a hero".

Poussier's remarks provoked strong reactions and his Twitter account was disabled.

"Stephane Poussier is in custody since 11:30 this morning for justifying acts of terrorism after comments published yesterday on his Twitter account," local prosecutor David Pamart confirmed to AFP late Sunday.

He could face up to seven years in prison and a fine of 100,000 euros ($124,000).

Poussier stood unsuccessfully in elections last year as a candidate for the La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party of radical leftwinger Jean-Luc Melenchon.

His comments were condemned by the party and Melenchon, who said on Twitter that it would on Monday file a complaint against him for justifying terrorism.
• France mourns death of hero gendarme who took place of supermarket hostage</s>An image Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame is attached to a bouquet of flower laid outside the gates of the gendarmerie of Carcassonne where he worked in southwest France, March 25, 2018. — AFP picRENNES, March 26 — A left-wing French politician has been arrested over a tweet apparently celebrating the death of a policeman who was hailed a hero after he took the place of a hostage and was killed by a jihadist gunman.

Police arrested Stephane Poussier at his home in Dives-sur-Mer, northwest France, yesterday after he sent two tweets welcoming the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame.

“Whenever a policeman is shot... I think of my friend Remi Fraisse,” Poussier said on Twitter, referring to an environmental activist killed by a stun grenade fired by police during a 2014 protest over a dam.

“And this time it was a colonel, great! Additionally, it means one less Macron voter,” he added.

Beltrame was shot and stabbed to death after offering himself in exchange for a woman being used as a human shield by Radouane Lakdim who had already killed three other people in a rampage on Friday.

A national tribute is to be held for Beltrame, who President Emmanuel Macron said had “died a hero”.

Poussier’s remarks provoked strong reactions and his Twitter account was disabled.

“Stephane Poussier is in custody since 11:30am this morning for justifying acts of terrorism after comments published yesterday on his Twitter account,” local prosecutor David Pamart confirmed to AFP late Sunday.

Poussier stood unsuccessfully in elections last year as a candidate for the La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party of radical leftwinger Jean-Luc Melenchon.

His comments were condemned by the party and Melenchon, who said on Twitter that it would today file a complaint against him for justifying terrorism. — AFP</s>A French police officer who swapped himself for a hostage in a supermarket siege on Friday has died, officials say.

Lt-Col Arnaud Beltrame had been hailed as a hero by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The gendarme helped bring an end to a gunman's shooting spree that killed three in southern France.

The radical Islamist gunman, 25-year-old Redouane Lakdim, was shot dead as police brought the siege to an end.

Announcing the police officer's death on Twitter, Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said: "He died for his country. France will never forget his heroism, his bravery, his sacrifice."

Earlier, Mr Macron had revealed that Lt-Col Beltrame had suffered serious injuries and was fighting for his life in hospital.

Sixteen people were injured, two seriously, in what Mr Macron called an act of "Islamist terrorism".

Lakdim was said to have demanded the release of Salah Abdeslam, the most important surviving suspect in the 13 November 2015 attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people.

One person - believed to be Lakdim's partner - has been arrested in connection with the shootings.</s>French Man Praises Police Death, Is Arrested For Apologizing For Terrorism

One day after a French police officer was killed by a gunman in a hostage exchange, a man was arrested for seemingly celebrating Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame's death on Twitter and Facebook.

"Every time a police officer is killed, and it's not every day, I think of my friend Rémi Fraisse," Stéphane Poussier, a onetime candidate in legislative elections in Northwestern France, tweeted, according to French media. "This time it was a colonel — how great!"

Poussier's Twitter account has since been deleted.

Fraisse was a 21-year-old conservationist who died after police threw a stun grenade during clashes at a 2014 protest against a dam project. Fraisse's death outside Toulouse, sparked protests across the country. A French court found the officer who threw it did not intend to kill Fraisse.

"Last night I dreamed of Rémi Fraisse ... He said he was happy to welcome a colonel from the gendarmerie!" Poussier said in a Facebook post Saturday.

Poussier also wrote that Beltrame's death meant one less voter for French President Emmanuel Macron.

Poussier was arrested under a law prohibiting apologizing for terrorism, which states that speaking favorably about or approving a terrorist act is a crime.

The offense is punishable by a fine of more than $120,000 USD and seven years in prison.

As The Two-Way reported, 44-year-old Beltrame was one of the first officers on the scene Friday after a gunman took hostages at a grocery store in Trèbes in the south of France.

The attacker, who claimed he was acting for ISIS, killed Beltrame and three others in all, before being killed by police. Several others were wounded but managed to escape.

France's Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said Beltrame managed to leave his cell phone on after entering the building, allowing officers to to keep apprised of the situation.

Collomb praised Beltrame's "heroism, bravery and sacrifice," a sentiment shared by many others in France.

"I'm being harassed," Poussier posted Saturday, "I've recorded everything, numbers, insults, death threats. So I borrowed a friend's gun. If anything happens to me, I accuse the gendarmerie!"

The New York Times reports French authorities seized on the law against apologizing for terrorism in the days after the January 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo and elsewhere in the Paris area that left 17 people dead. At the time, up to 100 people were under investigation for making comments in support of terrorism, the Times reported.

On Sunday, Unité SGP Police, a police union, tweeted, "It is intolerable that an ex-legislative candidate can be pleased about the death of a police officer, sanctions should be taken."

The party whose ticket Poussier had run on, La France insoumise, issued a statement, condemning his words as "shameful and abject" and saying they have nothing to do with the party. It added that it has removed Poussier from the party platform.</s>A French politician could face up to seven years in prison and a hefty fine after reportedly being arrested over tweets celebrating the death of a policeman during the terrorist siege in a French supermarket.

Stephane Poussier, who stood unsuccessfully for the left-wing La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party in last year’s general election, was arrested Sunday at his home in Dives-sur-Mer in northwest France, according to French media. In a series of tweets, the politician is said to have celebrated the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, the gendarme killed after offering himself in exchange for a hostage during Friday’s supermarket siege in Trebes, southwest France.

READ MORE: 3 homemade bombs found at site of French supermarket attack – report

"Whenever a policeman is shot... I think of my friend Remi Fraisse," he wrote, according to La Parisien. Poussier was referring to 21-year-old environmentalist Remi Fraisse who was killed in 2014 during clashes with police at the site of a dam in Sivens, near Toulouse. “And this time it was a colonel, great! It also means one less vote for [President Emmanuel] Macron,” he added.

Poussier’s Twitter account has now been deleted but a post expressing similar sentiments remains on his Facebook page. He was arrested under a law which prohibits speaking favorably of a terrorist act or crime. If convicted, Poussier faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a €100,000 fine.

READ MORE: Twitter blames Paris for failing to stop Trebes gunman, once regarded as national security threat

Beltrame has been hailed as a hero in France for his actions during the Trebes siege. One of the first to the scene, the policeman exchanged himself for a woman being held as a human shield by Radouane Lakdim, a jihadist claiming to be acting on behalf of the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). Beltrame later died of a knife wound to the neck while Lakdim was killed in the ensuing police raid.

“The shameful and abject words of Stephane Poussier have nothing to do with La France Insoumise. We condemn them firmly. We immediately withdraw this person from the party,” France Unbowed said in a statement Saturday. The party’s leader Jean-Luc Melenchon also condemned Poussier, labeling the tweets “repulsive.”

Like this story? Share it with a friend!</s>Laurent Wauquiez, the leader of France’s conservative Les Républicains, has accused Emmanuel Macron of “irresponsibility” in his response to homegrown terrorism and called on the government to reinstate its state of emergency.

“The Islamic contagion must be eradicated,” Wauquiez said in an address Monday, three days after a man claiming allegiance to terror group Islamic State took hostages at a supermarket in southwestern France, leaving four people dead and more than a dozen injured. “I ask that we give ourselves the means and that the state of emergency be restored.”

“I ask that we don’t satisfy ourselves with following radical Islamists and waiting for them to commit an act of terror,” he added, calling for the incarceration of individuals flagged by law enforcement as serious threats to national security (known as “fiché S“) and the expulsion of those among them who don’t have French citizenship.

Wauquiez — seen as a hard-charging right-winger and one of Macron’s fiercest critics — also hit out at Macron for his “naivety” and “irresponsibility,” saying the president needed to show he has “the courage to take the necessary measures to protect the French.”

“This war against Daesh [Islamic State], contrary to what Emmanuel Macron has dared to say, we did not win it,” Wauquiez tweeted. “And we won’t win it if we don’t do everything it takes. With a steady hand.”

The Républicains, France’s largest conservative party, has struggled to rally its disunited ranks after its presidential candidate, François Fillon, crashed out of the 2017 presidential elections.

Under Wauquiez’s leadership, the party has moved to the right, approaching the stance of far-right Front National — whose leader Marine Le Pen has also called for the extradition of foreigners who pose a threat to national security — when it comes to terrorism and security.</s>A police officer who took the place of a hostage during a terror attack at a French supermarket married his partner while on his death bed.

Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltrame voluntarily swapped himself for a female store worker during Friday's siege.

The 44-year-old officer died in hospital from his injuries after being shot three times by radical Islamist Redouane Lakdim in Trebes, southwest France.

A mass is being held, paying tribute to the victims of the attack.

It has emerged that hours before his death Lt Col Beltrame married his partner Marielle in a ceremony at a hospital in Carcassonne.

According to reports, the couple had been planning a church wedding in June after they met during a tour of an abbey in France in 2016.

Father Jean-Baptiste said the couple had spent some 30 hours preparing for their marriage ceremony.

He said: "I gave him the sacrament of marriage, and the sacrament of the sick."

Ladkim, 25, was shot dead by police after Lt Col Beltrame left his mobile phone on so colleagues could hear what was happening inside the supermarket.

A national tribute is to take place at a later date for Lt Col Beltrane, who President Emmanuel Macron said had "died a hero" and deserved "the respect and admiration of the whole nation".

The officer's brother, Cedric, said he had given his life "for strangers" and knew he had "almost no chance" of surviving. "he did not hesitate one second," Mr Beltrame told RTL radio.

"He did what needed to be done and thanks to him, many lives were saved and yes, I think the word hero is very appropriate."

The officer's mother, who has not been named, said she was "not surprised" by her son's actions, saying: "He's always been like that."

"It's someone, since he was born, who gives everything for his homeland."

Mr Macron said of Lt Col Beltrame: "In giving his life to end the deadly plan of a jihadi terrorist, he fell as a hero."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "saddened" by the officer's death, adding: "His sacrifice and courage will never be forgotten."

Britain's ambassador to France, Ed Llewellyn, also paid tribute, saying Lt Col Beltrame "gave his life to save the lives of others" and was "truly a hero".

Samia Menassi, the manager of the supermarket targeted in the attack, said her colleague who was swapped for Lt Col Beltrame during the siege was in a "catastrophic state".

Lt Col Beltrame, who joined France's elite police special forces in 2003 and served in Iraq in 2005, had reportedly organised a training session last December to prepare for hostage situations.

Mr Macron said investigators will focus on establishing how Morocco-born Lakdim obtained his weapon and how he became radicalised.

Lakdim was known to police for petty crimes and drug dealing and had been on a watch list from 2014, according to France's prosecutor Francois Molins, but he was not believed to be preparing any terrorist acts.

Islamic State has claimed the atrocity was in response to its call to target Western enemies.

Lakdim hijacked a car in the city of Carcassonne - seriously wounding the driver and killing the passenger - before driving toward Trebes.

He shot at police officers before hiding in the supermarket, taking several people hostage.

During the resulting stand-off with police, Lakdim demanded the release of Salah Abdeslam - the only surviving member of the Islamic State cell that attacked Paris in 2015.

Lakdim killed two people before giving up most of the hostages, keeping one woman as a human shield, who Lt Col Beltrame traded places with.

Police have detained a 17-year-old boy, who was allegedly a friend of Lakdim, in connection with the terror attack.

Another woman who was also allegedly connected to the attacker was taken into custody on Friday.
A former French Parliamentarian candidate of the La France Insoumise party is arrested for tweeting that the death of Lt-Col Arnaud Beltrame was "great" and "one less vote for Emmanuel Macron."