PH offers sympathy to France over ‘terror attack’

The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on Saturday extended its sympathies to France after three persons were killed there while two others were wounded in a shooting and hostage-taking incident owned up to by the Islamic State on Friday. (Pixabay photo)

MANILA — The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on Saturday extended its sympathies to France after three persons were killed there while two others were wounded in a shooting and hostage-taking incident owned up to by the Islamic State on Friday.

The department, at the same time, clarified that no Filipino was involved in the incident in the southwestern town of Carcassonne.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of France today as they mourn those who lost their lives in the terrorist incident in Carcassonne,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said.

“We stand with France and the rest of the world in condemning this incident,” he added.

In a report, Ambassador to Paris Maria Teresa Lazaro said the Philippine Embassy has not received any report of any Filipino becoming casualty in the incident.

Lazaro said the incident involved a 25-year-old French-Moroccan national, who was killed by security forces after killing two persons he took hostage at a supermarket.

The envoy said the gunman earlier killed one person and wounded another when he carjacked a vehicle that he used in trying to run over a group of police officers who were jogging at that time.