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> 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> 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> The officer who offered to be swapped for a female hostage was identified as Col. Arnaud Beltrame. (Photo | AP)

RENNES, FRANCE: 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.

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 11:30 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. </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> French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said a policeman who died after offering himself as a hostage in a jihadist attack last week was "full of French resistance," as he led a national ceremony in Paris in honor of the man.

Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, 44, was the last person to be killed in the shooting spree that left four people dead on March 23, in the southwestern towns of Carcassonne and Trebes.

Beltrame had taken the place of a woman who had been held as the final hostage in a supermarket by 25-year-old gunman Redouane Lakdim, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

Macron compared Arnaud Beltrame's actions to those of France's World War II heroes and said his example would "remain etched in French hearts."

"To accept to die so the innocent can live — that is the essence of what it means to be a soldier," Macron said. "Others, even many who are brave, would have wavered or hesitated."

He had hoped he could negotiate with the attacker once customers and staff had been cleared from the supermarket, but Lakdim shot him and slit his throat.

Macron gave the eulogy at Les Invalides, a historic complex, which is home to France's army museum and a veterans' retirement center.

About 200 of Beltrame's colleagues from the gendarmerie, a national police force, which is part of the military, attended the ceremony in Paris.

Across the country, police stations paused for a minute's silence to honor their fallen colleague.

Macron's government has been criticized by right-wing opponents who say the attack was preventable.

Lakdim had been on a list of suspected terrorists since 2014 and was being monitored. He also had previous convictions for drug use and handling a banned weapon.

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, accused the government of using the grief over Beltrame's death to "escape from its own incompetence and cowardice" in failing to combat Islamic extremism.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe responded to the criticism on Tuesday in parliament saying, "Those who say ignorantly that this attack could have been avoided, those who promise people zero risk — I say to them, these people bear a heavy responsibility in speaking so casually."

Philippe dismissed right-wing proposals to introduce a complete ban on ultra-conservative Salafism or "preemptively" detain radical Islamists.

France already has a "legal arsenal" to "understand, monitor and sanction" extremists, Philippe said.

In France, more than 200 people have died in jihadist attacks over the past three years.

This article was originally published on DW.com. Its content is created separately from USA TODAY. </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> 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 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."