At least two people, a police officer and a government official, were injured in an armed robbery that took place on Thursday night/Friday morning in a neighborhood of the Tevragh-Zeina district, northwest of the capital Nouakchott.
Witnesses reported that an individual armed with a white weapon and a pistol attacked a citizen who was alone in his home. It was later revealed that the victim was the administrative and financial director at the Mauritanian Ministry of Justice.
Sources indicate that the victim suffered injuries to the head and hand from the white weapon, and videos circulated on social media showing him covered in blood before being transported to the hospital.
Videos filmed by citizens showed police officers breaking into the house where the incident occurred, and the sound of two gunshots was heard during the raid.
The armed man, who was holding a pistol-shaped object and threatening a group of citizens, managed to escape the house after injuring a police officer. However, citizens cornered him in a store, leading to a street chase that ended with the suspect’s arrest.
An official source stated that the gunshots heard during the raid were “warning shots,” and confirmed that the suspect did not possess any firearms, only a pistol replica.
