PARIS—French authorities are searching for two assailants who shot a police officer in a government security building outside Paris.
The officer surprised the two attackers during his rounds early Sunday, and one of them grabbed his gun and shot him, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet.
The officer was lightly wounded in the abdomen but his life is not in danger, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a statement.
It’s unclear why the men were in the Interior Ministry complex, which includes a police vehicle garage. Cazeneuve said authorities believe they were probably motivated by some kind of financial gain.
Special security forces surrounded and searched the building in the suburb of Pantin for the two suspects. They found the officer’s discarded gun, but the suspects are still at large, Cazeneuve said.
French authorities remain tense since Islamic extremist attacks in January left 20 people dead, including the three attackers.