French police officer dies of wounds after terrorist attack on Friday

The French police officer offered to swap himself with a woman during a hostage situation in a supermarket on Friday. 

Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltrame has been hailed a hero
Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltrame has been hailed a hero

Arnaud Beltrame, the French police officer who swapped himself with a woman in a supermarket hostage situation of Friday, has died of his wounds.

The police officer was shot three times by radical Islamist, Redouane Lakdim after he left his mobile phone on in order to allow his colleagues to hear what was going on inside.

"He gave his life for strangers. He must have known that he didn't really have a chance. If that doesn't make him a hero, I don't know what would,” Beltrame’s brother said.

French President, Emmanuel Macron said that he “fell as a hero” and that Beltrame showed “exceptional courage”.

Lakdim was demanding the release of Salah Abdeslam, one of the most important surviving suspects of the Paris attacks in November 2015 that left 130 people dead.

Col Betrame is now the seventh French security force member to be killed in a terrorist attack since 2012.

Two people including Lakdim’s partner and another close friend are currently being interrogated by the police over the attack.