A man was shot and critically injured by police on Wednesday after he set fire to the town hall in Angoulême, a city in western France.

The 46-year-old, dressed in military fatigues, stormed the historic 19th-century building, dousing a first-floor room with petrol where two female aides were working. The women managed to escape and alerted authorities.

PHOTO | COURTESY Officers at the crime scene

According to Prefect Jerome Harnois, officers attempted to subdue the man using a truncheon but were forced to open fire when those efforts failed. The man, who was taken to the hospital in critical condition, has no known criminal record, and his motives remain unclear.

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Angoulême’s mayor, Xavier Bonnefont, confirmed that the fire was swiftly extinguished. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin also reassured via social media that no one was harmed apart from the attacker.

PHOTO | COURTESY Officers at the crime scene

An investigation has been launched, and a bomb disposal unit was deployed to inspect the man's car parked outside the town hall. Police also searched his home in a nearby residential area.

A neighbor, who spoke to local newspaper Charente Libre on condition of anonymity, noted that the man had recently shaved his head and had exhibited unusual behavior earlier that day, appearing agitated and carrying spray paint cans.