France terror attack: Hero policeman married hours before he died
Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, who has been praised by President Macron, was planning to marry his partner in June.

09:42, UK, Sunday 25 March 2018

French police officer Arnaud Beltrame has been described as a 'hero'
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French police officer Arnaud Beltrame has been described as a 'hero'
A police officer who took the place of a hostage during a terror attack at a French supermarket married his partner while on his death bed.

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Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltrame voluntarily swapped himself for a female store worker during Friday's siege.

The 44-year-old officer died in hospital from his injuries after being shot three times by radical Islamist Redouane Lakdim in Trebes, southwest France.

A mass is being held, paying tribute to the victims of the attack.

It has emerged that hours before his death Lt Col Beltrame married his partner Marielle in a ceremony at a hospital in Carcassonne.

According to reports, the couple had been planning a church wedding in June after they met during a tour of an abbey in France in 2016.

Father Jean-Baptiste said the couple had spent some 30 hours preparing for their marriage ceremony.

He said: "I gave him the sacrament of marriage, and the sacrament of the sick."

Ladkim, 25, was shot dead by police after Lt Col Beltrame left his mobile phone on so colleagues could hear what was happening inside the supermarket.

Redouane Lakdim
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Redouane Lakdim was shot dead by police
A national tribute is to take place at a later date for Lt Col Beltrane, who President Emmanuel Macron said had "died a hero" and deserved "the respect and admiration of the whole nation".

The officer's brother, Cedric, said he had given his life "for strangers" and knew he had "almost no chance" of surviving. "he did not hesitate one second," Mr Beltrame told RTL radio.

"He did what needed to be done and thanks to him, many lives were saved and yes, I think the word hero is very appropriate."

The officer's mother, who has not been named, said she was "not surprised" by her son's actions, saying: "He's always been like that."