French soldier in anti-terror force shoots himself in room

PARIS – A soldier in France’s Sentinelle force that protects the public against attacks in Paris has shot himself to death in his room with his own weapon.

A gendarmerie official said Saturday the National Gendarmerie was in charge of the investigation into the death a night earlier. The official said three colleagues tried in vain to resuscitate the 26-year-old. The official could not be named in keeping with military rules.

The death occurred in a room of a French Marines locale on Paris’ Left Bank. Half the 7,000-strong force, created after a wave of terror attacks in January 2015, are posted in the Paris area.