Gunmen attacked a Saudi Embassy convoy in Paris on Sunday, stealing
250,000 euros ($334,000) and diplomatic documents, French police say.
According to a police
union spokesman, a Saudi prince was traveling with the motorcade, but
the gunmen appeared to be most interested in the contents of one of the
vehicles, forcing it to a stop by brandishing automatic weapons, but
without firing a shot.
The spokesman described the stolen documents as "sensitive."
The gunmen's car was
later found burned out and with the license plates removed. There was no
sign of the gunmen, and police are investigating.
Le Parisien said
that the attack took place near Porte de la Chapelle in the city's 18th
administrative district and that the gunmen were armed with Kalashnikov
rifles.
The website said Monday
that the convoy of 12 vehicles was traveling from a hotel on the
Champs-Elysees in central Paris to the Paris-Le Bourget Airport --
northeast of the city -- when two cars stopped it, seizing a minivan
containing three people.
Le Monde said
five to eight robbers were involved. The newspaper quoted an
investigator as saying the crime would be more complex if the diplomatic
documents had been its target.
Frederic Lagache, from
the Alliance police union, described the offenders as "a heavily armed
and determined group of individuals," French news agency AFP reported.
Saudi Arabia denied the car was an embassy vehicle.
Its embassy said the car was a rental and the driver was a Saudi citizen who was headed to the airport.
"On the way, the driver was forced to get out the car. The luggage and car were stolen," it said.
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