Diesel, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois, died during the police raid in Saint-Denis targeting suspects of the Paris terrorists attacks last Friday. Two people were killed, and seven others were arrested. Five officers were injured.
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The police department tweeted the announcement of Diesel’s death following the raid, and it was retweeted over 11,000 times by 8 a.m. ET Wedneday. The hashtags #JeSuisChien (#IAmDog) and #RIPDiesel began trending shortly after.
[INFO] Diesel, malinois de 7 ans, chienne d'assaut du #RAID a été tuée par les terroristes dans l'opération en cours #SaintDenis
— Police Nationale (@PNationale) November 18, 2015The department also tweeted a picture of a dog, with the caption “Assault and explosives search dogs: indispensable in the missions of the operators of the #RAID.” It is not confirmed if the dog pictured is Diesel.
Les chiens d'assaut et de recherche d'explosifs: indispensables dans les missions des opérateurs du #RAID pic.twitter.com/vb5lGjnwjO
— Police Nationale (@PNationale) November 18, 2015The police did not say exactly how Diesel died, but during the raid, a woman set off a suicide vest. Neighbors also reported hearing several explosions and many gunshots.
Nicole Brown