Upon arrival, Scholz condemned the Iranian strikes on Israel
France's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Friday he was "particularly shocked" after a train departing a busy Paris station appeared to deliberately run over a domestic cat.
He spoke after an animal rights group this week filed a complaint against national railway operator SNCF over the pet's death at the Montparnasse station on January 2.
Passengers Georgia and her 15-year-old daughter Melaina said their pet Neko escaped from its travel bag and disappeared under a high-speed train as they prepared to travel to Bordeaux.
After 20 minutes of trying to persuade staff to rescue it, the train departed, killing the cat.
"We saw him sliced in half," Melaina told animal rights association 30 Million Friends.
"They told us it wasn't their problem, that it was just a cat and that we should have had it on a leash."
Afterwards, the train company offered them a free ticket to Bordeaux, they said.
30 Million Friends said it had filed a complaint for "grave abuse and cruelty that led to the death of an animal".
That could lead to a fine of up to 75,000 euros (more than $80,000) and a five-year jail sentence if the case goes to court.
Starting the train was "a deliberate act... an informed decision -- and that is criminally reprehensible," the group's lawyer Xavier Bacquet told BFMTV.
SNCF said it regretted the "tragic" incident, but that descending onto the tracks was strictly forbidden due to the risk of electrocution.
Darmanin on Friday said he was "particularly shocked by the way SNCF unfortunately managed the terrible affair".
"The investigation will determine who is criminally responsible," he told BFMTV.
Darmanin announced that police officers in 4,000 stations across the country would be trained to respond to animal trafficking and abuse.
30 Million Friends welcomed the announcement.
But it must "imperatively come with proper awareness raising among magistrates and adapted penal repression," it said.
Upon arrival, Scholz condemned the Iranian strikes on Israel
Police have named the assailant as 40-year-old itinerant man Joel Cauchi
Family expresses condolences to the victims
The airline has already suspended flights to and from Tehran until April 18
All flights at Egyptian airports are according to the usual schedules, except for some flights heading to countries that have closed their airspace, said the govt
Air India and Vistara have announced avoidance of Iranian airspace and are taking longer flight paths for their Europe and US operations
Israel has a multi-layered air defence system that has intercepted thousands of rockets since it first went into operation in 2011
Police said there was no evidence to suggest Joel Cauchi was 'driven by any particular motivation, ideology or otherwise'