Interior Minister Gérard Collomb believes he acted alone. A search of his home found notes referring to Islamic State, in what appeared to be a will. His girlfriend was known to French security services. Renato Silva survived being shot in the head by Lakdim before having his car stolen, and was taken to Perpignan where he went into a coma. On 4 April, he came out of the coma but could not walk unassisted and suffered partial paralysis in the face and deafness in one ear. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa visited Silva in hospital. He was released on 23 March and returned to his home in Villemoustaussou, Aude. On 19 October 2018, three persons were indicted by French authorities in connection to Lakdim's actions. French Minister of the Interior Gérard Collomb, who was briefed on the situation in Trèbes from Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-d'Or, said he was "on his way to Trèbes" and arrived shortly after. President Emmanuel Macron said the hostage taking "appeared to be a terrorist act" and that he would return to Paris within hours to coordinate an official response. President Macron later said Arnaud Beltrame "fell as a hero" and showed "exceptional courage", in what he described as an act of "Islamist terrorism". Beltrame's name was the top trending hashtag on the French edition of Twitter on the morning he died due to tributes from France and elsewhere around the world. Gendarmerie stations across France flew flags at half-mast in his honour, and the Élysée Presidential Palace announced that a national tribute would be paid to him.