There have been so many terror attacks in France over the past few years that it's hard to keep count. However, the latest tragedy this past weekend has at least created a national Hero.
Last Friday, terrorist Redouane Lakdim created a hostage situation in the medieval town of Carcassonne after hijacking a car, shooting up a group of policemen, and then going on a shooting spree in a Super-U supermarket, declaring himself a soldier of ISIS and killing two people.
Police got most of the civilians away from Lakdim and out of the Super-U, but Lakdim was able to keep one store worker as a hostage, using her as a human shield.
He demanded that authorities release Salah Abdeslam, another terrorist and ISIS soldier who is the last living member of the cell that carried out the 2015 Paris massacres.
Sacrificing his life
This was when Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame went well above the call of duty. He offered himself as a replacement hostage for the captured woman, in order to pacify the gunman and get the last victim to safety. As he entered the terrorist's possession, Colonel Beltrame left his cell phone on so that his colleagues could hear what the terrorist was doing. Lakdim was eventually neutralized by security forces with the aid of Beltrame's cell phone transmission, but not before he shot Beltrame. When they heard Beltrame being shot, the security forces stormed the building, shooting the terrorist dead and attempting first aid on the wounded officer.
The saddest wedding
According to Sky News, Beltrame survived the incident but died in the hospital due to his injuries. Shortly before his death, he was able to get married to his partner, Marielle, whom he was planning to marry in a church ceremony in June. He received the Catholic rites of death and marriage together, at the same time.
Amid near-universal praise, Beltrame, a former military member and decorated Iraq War vet, was buried on Monday in a national ceremony with military honors. Here is video coverage of the life and death of Beltrame:
Lakdim, born in Morocco, had been on a watch list since 2014 and had been arrested for a string of petty crimes.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack as part of its exhortations to attack its Western enemies.
A dissenting voice
Not everyone in France honored the fallen hero, however. Left-wing politician Stephane Poussier celebrated the colonel's death with a Tweet, happy that there would be "one less Macron voter." This show of partisanship may have been quite tasteless in the wake of yet another national tragedy—particularly considering Colonel Beltrame's touching selflessness—but the French government arguably went overboard when they responded to the tweet by having Poussier arrested at his home in Dives-sur-Mer.
