[1] The attacker was identified as French national Karim Cheurfi, who had an extensive criminal record that included a conviction and a twelve-year prison sentence for an earlier attempt to murder two police officers.

At the time of the shooting, France was on high alert in the wake of the attacks in Paris in November 2015 and in Nice in July 2016, as well as in anticipation of the first round of the 2017 presidential election, which was scheduled in three days.

Since 2015, there had been a spate of Islamist terrorist attacks on French police officers, soldiers and civilians, resulting in the deaths of more than 230 people.

[11][12] Cheurfi then attempted to flee on foot, firing at other people as he did, but was shot and killed by other responding officers.

President François Hollande, Emmanuel Macron and other dignitaries were at the national ceremony of honor which took place at the Paris Police Prefecture on 25 April 2017.

[13][19][31] French police identified the attacker as 39-year-old Karim Cheurfi, born in Livry-Gargan in 1977 and living in Chelles, east of Paris.

[32][33] French prosecutors said that a note praising ISIS fell out of his pocket after he was shot, and that he was carrying addresses of police stations.

[35] He had been detained in February 2017 for allegedly making threats to kill police, but was released due to lack of evidence.

[29][35][36][33] He was, however, added to a "radicalisation and terror prevention and alert list" created in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shooting, but he was not considered a priority.

[12] Cheurfi's former lawyer said he was "extremely isolated" and a "psychologically fragile character" whose mental problems were not treated.

[35] In January 2018, his father, Salah Cheurfi, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for having made comments of support for terrorism.

[43] Following the shooting, US President Donald Trump expressed his condolences to the people of France and said, "[W]e have to be strong and we have to be vigilant.

[36] Other world leaders, including Angela Merkel and the government of the United Kingdom, issued statements in reaction to the shooting.

[49] With terrorism and security high priorities for Paris, The Guardian noted that the attack might serve as "ammunition" for right-wing candidates such as National Front leader Marine Le Pen, considered an outlier for her views on stronger border security and the deportation of radicalized foreigners, as well as Fillon.