A French police dog was killed Wednesday in an operation targeting the alleged mastermind of last Friday's massacre in Paris, prompting an outpouring of support on social media for the fallen canine.
French police on Twitter said “Diesel”, a 7-year-old Belgian Shepard, “was killed by terrorists in the ongoing operation.”
Police forces often use dogs to sniff out explosives. At least two terror suspects were killed in the raid in Saint-Denis, including a woman who wore a suicide vest who blew herself up.
French police also posted on Twitter that “assault and explosives search dogs are indispensable in the missions of the operators of the raid," alongside a picture of Diesel standing in front of a row of officers.
The phrase "RIP Diesel" became a top trending search term worldwide shortly after the post. The hashtag ‘#JeSuisChien’, translated into English as “I am a dog,” also was used by many Twitter users in a show of respect for Diesel.
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