UPDATE - French interior minister to sue police syndicate for praising teen's death by police

ADDS DETAILS; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Gizem Taskin Nicollet

PARIS (AA) - French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced Wednesday he will take legal action against a police union after it sent a tweet that justified the killing of a 17-year-old teen by police.

“#Nanterre Congratulations to the colleagues who opened fire on a young 17-year-old criminal. By neutralizing his vehicle, they protected their lives and the users of the road. The only one responsible for the death of this thug are his parents, unable to educate their son," tweeted the group called “France Police.” The tweet was later deleted.

"The small group France Police, which is in no way a representative union of the national police ... published an unacceptable and abject tweet," Dermanin said in a statement.

He requested an official report through the Pharos platform to address illegal online content and plans to involve the Public Prosecutor of Paris under Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

He also ordered his services to explore options for dissolving the syndicate.

Nahel, 17, was shot dead by police in the suburb of Nanterre early Tuesday after he broke traffic laws and failed to stop, according to prosecutors.

His death sparked protests in Nanterre, leading to overnight clashes between demonstrators and police.

The 38-year-old police officer who killed Nahel was detained by the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) as part of the investigation into the intentional homicide by the Nanterre prosecutor’s office.