France investigates attempted murder after petrol bomb attack on police

French prosecutors have launched an attempted murder investigation following an incident in which petrol bombs were thrown at police during recent unrest.

An image showing a police officer with his leg on fire during a clash with protesters in Paris has sparked public outrage.

The officer, who sustained burns to his ankle and minor injuries to his hand, described the incendiary device as 'particularly sophisticated.'

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called throwing a Molotov cocktail at a police line 'a murder attempt,' stating authorities are working to identify the perpetrators.

The incident occurred amid ongoing youth-led protests in France, which began in late September and have focused on issues such as high living costs and poor public services.

Hundreds of thousands of people participated in largely peaceful demonstrations across the country on Saturday, with thousands of police officers deployed to manage the protests.

More than 770 arrests were made on Saturday, though no one has been arrested specifically for the attack that injured the officer.

The officer, part of the National Gendarmerie, reported facing 'several hundred hostile, well-equipped adversaries' during the incident.

He noted that the incendiary device had a 'far greater burning capacity than a standard Molotov cocktail' and that the attackers were not protesters but individuals intent on harming state representatives.

Fourteen other officers were injured, with some struck by paving stones, despite the unit being on leave and recalled urgently to manage the weekend protests.