Sarkozy expresses condolences to Eta victim’s family

France's Interior Minister has repeated claims that Basque separatist group Eta was responsible for Tuesday's killing of a French police officer. President Nicolas Sarkozy has offered his condolences to the victim's relatives. Meanwhile, French PM François Fillon has apologised for having erroneously announced the death of a police officer who was wounded in a separate incident. 

Nicolas Sarkozy in Dammarie-Lès-Lys (Seine-et-Marne department) on 18 March 2010. Reuters

Sarkozy met the family of deceased police officer Jean-Serge Nérin in Dammarie-Lès-Lys near Paris, where he worked.

Nérin was on patrol with three colleagues on Tuesday this week when he was killed in a shooting with four people.

Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux has said there was growing indication that the four belonged to Basque separatist organisation Eta.

This would make Nérin the first French police officer to have been killed by Eta. Sarkozy said France will not be “a comfortable backstage” for the Basque separatist organisation ETA.

Both Sarkozy and José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero are expected to attend the funeral of the killed policeman in Melun next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Fillon was forced to apologise to the relatives and colleagues of a police officers who was wounded on 8 March in the eastern town of Epernay. Fillon said he regretted having announced the man’s death “by mistake” in a pre-regional elections speech in Paris last night.

The mistake had “slipped into the speech”, Fillon said, adding he was “happy to hear the good news” that the policeman had woken up from the coma.

Earlier on Thursday, the police union had criticised Fillon for allegedly exploiting security matters ahead of the second round of the regional elections this Sunday.