Christian Prouteau
Encyclopedia
Christian Prouteau is a French
officer of the Gendarmerie Nationale
. He was involved in the organisation of the GIGN
and the GSPR
.
in 1969. He joined the Commandos of the Gendarmerie and became an instructor. In 1973, in response to the Munich massacre
, French authorities decided to create an elite unit capable of countering acts of terrorism ; Prouteau was selected to organise the GIGN
.
Prouteau lead GIGN for 9 years, leading 64 interventions. He was severely wounded in 1980.
From 1982 to 1988, Prouteau directed the 'Anti-terrorist Cell' of the Élysée which was involved in the Élysée wiretap scandal and the "Irish of Vincennes" affair. In 2005, he was sentenced to eight months with parole and fined 5000 Euros for his involvement in the wiretap scandal.
Prouteau organised the security of the 1992 Winter Olympics
.
He now ranks as a préfet
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
officer of the Gendarmerie Nationale
Gendarmerie Nationale (France)
In France, the National Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces, in charge of public safety, with police duties among the civilian population. It also contains a military police force and a special forces component . It has a strength of more than 105,975 persons...
. He was involved in the organisation of the GIGN
Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale
The National Gendarmerie Intervention Group, commonly abbreviated GIGN , is a special operations unit of the French Armed Forces. It is part of the National Gendarmerie and is trained to perform counter-terrorist and hostage rescue missions in France or anywhere else in the world.The GIGN was...
and the GSPR
Groupe de Sécurité de la Présidence de la République
The Security Group for the Presidency of the Republic is the security unit in charge of the safety of President of France.In the past, the group was composed of 30 gendarmes and 30 policemen and a Lieutenant-Colonel of Gendarmerie or a Commissaire divisionnaire de Police was alternately in...
.
Biography
Prouteau graduated from Saint-CyrÉcole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...
in 1969. He joined the Commandos of the Gendarmerie and became an instructor. In 1973, in response to the Munich massacre
Munich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
, French authorities decided to create an elite unit capable of countering acts of terrorism ; Prouteau was selected to organise the GIGN
Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale
The National Gendarmerie Intervention Group, commonly abbreviated GIGN , is a special operations unit of the French Armed Forces. It is part of the National Gendarmerie and is trained to perform counter-terrorist and hostage rescue missions in France or anywhere else in the world.The GIGN was...
.
Prouteau lead GIGN for 9 years, leading 64 interventions. He was severely wounded in 1980.
From 1982 to 1988, Prouteau directed the 'Anti-terrorist Cell' of the Élysée which was involved in the Élysée wiretap scandal and the "Irish of Vincennes" affair. In 2005, he was sentenced to eight months with parole and fined 5000 Euros for his involvement in the wiretap scandal.
Prouteau organised the security of the 1992 Winter Olympics
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
.
He now ranks as a préfet
Préfet
A prefect in France is the State's representative in a department or region. Sub-prefects are responsible for the subdivisions of departments, arrondissements...
.