The father of the French man shot dead at Orly airport in Paris after attacking a soldier said today his son was &quot;not a terrorist&quot; and that his actions were caused by drink and drugs.

&quot;My son was not a terrorist. He never prayed and he drank. This is what happens under the influence of drink and cannabis,&quot; the father of Ziyed Ben Belgacem told France&#39;s Europe 1 radio.

Ben Belgacem triggered a major scare at Orly international airport south of Paris yesterday when he grabbed a female soldier on patrol and put a gun to her head.

He seised her assault rifle, saying he wanted to &quot;die for Allah&quot; and kill others, before being shot dead by the soldier&#39;s two colleagues.

The attack came around two hours after Ben Belgacem, who had several convictions for armed robbery, fired on police after being pulled over for speeding after spending the night in a bar.

An officer was lightly injured in that attack in the Garges-les-Gonesse suburb north of Paris, which set in motion a series of events culminating with Ben Belgacem&#39;s death at the airport.

The father, who was released from police custody today after being questioned, said his son phoned him minutes after the shooting &quot;in a state of extreme agitation&quot;.

&quot;He said to me: &#39;Daddy, please forgive me. I&#39;ve screwed up with a police officer.&#39;&quot;

He then cut short the conversation and drove to the airport, stealing another car en route. His father then presented himself at a police station, where he was later informed of his son&#39;s death.

Ben Belgacem&#39;s brother and cousin, who also came forward for questioning yesterday, are still being quizzed by anti-terror investigators.

(AFP)

The attack came around 2 hours after Ben Belgacem fired on police after being pulled over for speeding after spending the night in a bar

The father of the French man shot dead at Orly airport in Paris after attacking a soldier said today his son was "not a terrorist" and that his actions were caused by drink and drugs. "My son was not a terrorist. He never prayed and he drank. This is what happens under the influence of drink and cannabis," the father of Ziyed Ben Belgacem told France's Europe 1 radio. Ben Belgacem triggered a major scare at Orly international airport south of Paris yesterday when he grabbed a female soldier on patrol and put a gun to her head. He seised her assault rifle, saying he wanted to "die for Allah" and kill others, before being shot dead by the soldier's two colleagues. The attack came around two hours after Ben Belgacem, who had several convictions for armed robbery, fired on police after being pulled over for speeding after spending the night in a bar. An officer was lightly injured in that attack in the Garges-les-Gonesse suburb north of Paris, which set in motion a series of events culminating with Ben Belgacem's death at the airport. The father, who was released from police custody today after being questioned, said his son phoned him minutes after the shooting "in a state of extreme agitation". "He said to me: 'Daddy, please forgive me. I've screwed up with a police officer.'" He then cut short the conversation and drove to the airport, stealing another car en route. His father then presented himself at a police station, where he was later informed of his son's death. Ben Belgacem's brother and cousin, who also came forward for questioning yesterday, are still being quizzed by anti-terror investigators. (AFP)

'My son was no terrorist': Father of French airport attacker

The man shot dead at France&#39;s Orly airport after trying to snatch a patrol soldier&#39;s weapon was known to police and intelligence services and had shot and injured an officer in another part of the Paris region when stopped for an identity check earlier on Saturday, the interior minister said.

Minister Bruno Le Roux, speaking to reporters at the airport south of the French capital, said the man had tried but failed to snatch the weapon before being killed.

&quot;His identity is known to police and intelligence services,&quot; the minister said of the dead man. The police officer injured north of Paris during an I.D. check prior to the airport incident did not appear to have very serious injuries, he said.

(Reuters)

The interior minister said the man had hurt an officer in another part of the Paris region when stopped for an identity check earlier today

The man shot dead at France's Orly airport after trying to snatch a patrol soldier's weapon was known to police and intelligence services and had shot and injured an officer in another part of the Paris region when stopped for an identity check earlier on Saturday, the interior minister said. Minister Bruno Le Roux, speaking to reporters at the airport south of the French capital, said the man had tried but failed to snatch the weapon before being killed. "His identity is known to police and intelligence services," the minister said of the dead man. The police officer injured north of Paris during an I.D. check prior to the airport incident did not appear to have very serious injuries, he said. (Reuters)

Orly airport attacker was known to police, French intelligence: Minister

orly-airport

Orly Airport, News on Orly Airport, stories on Orly Airport, articles on Orly Airport, Orly Airport stories at Wion, Orly Airport news, Orly Airport latest news

orly airport

'My son was no terrorist': Father of French airport attacker

Orly airport attacker was known to police, French intelligence: Minister