As part of the investigation into the burning of four police vehicles in Cavaillon, two men have been remanded in custody, Avignon public prosecutor Florence Galtier announced on Monday October 14

An attack in the middle of the night

The incident occurred on the night of Tuesday October 8 to Wednesday October 9, at around 5am. Four police cars, three with silk-screen printing and one unmarked, were targeted and set on fire. “Fortunately, no injuries were reported, although minor damage was caused to nearby facades”, explained Florence Galtier at a press conference on the day.

Police officers in shock

The police officers present at the time of the incident were “deeply shocked”, according to Grégory Lorient, departmental deputy of the Alliance Police union. “They experienced a real moment of terror”, he added. At the time, the public prosecutor stated that “every effort is being made to identify and arrest those responsible as quickly as possible”.

Possible revenge against the police

This criminal act could be a form of retaliation against the actions of the police in the fight against drug trafficking in Cavaillon. The Prefect of the Vaucluse region pointed out that the incident occurred at a time when the police were stepping up their efforts to combat drug trafficking. Emmanuel Desjars de Keranrouë, interdepartmental director of the national police force, added that this act was “very probably a response to recent police operations”, including a large-scale action called “place nette”.

The investigation is continuing to determine the exact circumstances of the fire and to identify any possible accomplices.