French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve says a machete attack near the capital’s Louvre Museum was “clearly terrorist in nature.”
Anti-terror police have launched an investigation into the incident.
The head of Paris police, Michel Cadot said the assailant was “clearly aggressive and represented a direct threat.”
The man, whose identity and nationality are as yet unknown, slightly wounded a soldier on security duty in the Carrousel shopping centre under the museum, near one of its entrances. Soldiers responded with five shots, seriously wounding the attacker.
The police later tweeted that the suspect had been “neutralised.”
Intervention en cours au #Louvre : individu neutralisé.— Préfecture de police (@prefpolice) February 3, 2017
A second person was detained due to suspicious behaviour, although the two are not thought to be linked.
Police believe the attacker acted alone.
“An assailant armed with a machete at the very least, but perhaps with a second weapon, who was carrying two backpacks, approached the police officers and soldiers in charge of security and threatened them. Notably he shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’,” Cadot told reporters.
Later reports suggested two machetes were found on the suspect.
#louvre attacker's remarks have led #Paris police to believe he wanted to carry out a #terrorist attack, the head of Paris police says— Sarah Taylor (@SarahTaylorNews) February 3, 2017
According to the police chief, no explosives were found in the suspect’s bags.
The museum and its surroundings were evacuated shortly after the attack and visitors inside were prevented from leaving.
France is under a state of emergency following a spate of terror attacks in which more than 230 people have been killed. In December, 2016, parliament voted to extend the measure to July, 2017.
Presidential elections are due to be held in April and May. Security and fears of terrorism are among the key issues on which contenders are focussing.
What we know about the Louvre attack at 10:20 GMT pic.twitter.com/9gyGqqmlkg— AFP news agency (@AFP) February 3, 2017
