French gendarme who traded places with hostage is dead

Gendarmes and police officers at the supermarket after the hostage situation in Trebes

The French gendarme who voluntarily took the place of a hostage during a deadly supermarket siege in southwestern France on Friday has died, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said.

The gendarme, or policeman, had been left fighting for his life after being hit by gunfire inside the Super U supermarket in the town of Trebes before elite police raided the premises and killed the attacker, who had burst into the store yelling “Allahu Akbar”.

“Dead for his country. France will never forget his heroism, bravery and sacrifice,” Collomb said in a Twitter message in which he gave the gendarme’s name, Arnaud Beltrame.