17 Nov 2018

New Caledonia teenage gunman transferred to jail

3:37 pm on 17 November 2018

A teenager in New Caledonia has been transferred to the Noumea prison after being charged with attempting to kill police officers.

Noumea Prison security fence, New Caledonia.

Noumea Prison security fence, New Caledonia. Photo: Supplied

Media reports said the 18-year-old had been arrested this week after disturbances early last week forced the closure of the coastal road near Paita.

Six people had been taken into custody, with the teenager being accused of shooting at police officers.

Nobody was hit by the gunfire.

The other five men, who are aged up to 30, face a raft of other charges for stoning vehicles and injuring motorists.

The attacks were carried out the day after the independence referendum when the French prime minister was on a brief visit to New Caledonia.

The clash near Paita took place while more than a hundred police using armoured personnel carriers tried to dislodge a group of young men who had blocked the main road near St Louis south of Noumea for two days.

There have been no arrests over the disruption in St Louis, which stopped thousands of commuters from travelling.