Suburban Paris Headquarters of Interpol Attacked

A policeman was injured in a machine gun and bomb attack Friday night at Interpol headquarters west of Paris.

French radio said the attack was claimed by the extreme left Direct Action group, responsible for a series of assassinations and attacks on public buildings.

It said a local resident found leaflets near the building signed by the group.

The Interpol building, in the Paris suburb of Saint Cloud, was hit shortly after 10 p.m. with an explosion that started a fire.

Police could not immediately give a clear version of events but a radio report said armed men in a passing car sprayed the building with automatic fire and hurled explosives.

Police said the wounded policeman, who was on guard outside the building, was hit in the arm. No other casualties were immediately reported.

They said the explosion caused a fire and considerable material damage. French radio said the fire was quickly put out.

A local resident told the radio, “First they machine-gunned the building, then the bomb exploded. All the window panes in the street shattered.”

Police said it was not clear if the explosion was caused by a grenade or a home-made bomb.

Interpol is an international organization which coordinates criminal police work across national boundaries. It is currently building a new headquarters in the central city of Lyon.