A French soldier opened fire on a machete-wielding man, wounding him, police said.
The attacker tried to assault a four-man patrol of soldiers at the Carrousel du Louvre area. Early reports said he was a wielding a knife and had a suitcase.
The French Interior Ministry initially reported that was a “grave public security incident” in the vicinity of the Louvre museum. The area was then sealed off.
Later police said there was no suitcase, but two bags, and the man carrying them on his back tried to enter museum shopping area, but was refused.
Then the man tried to stab one of the soldiers with a machete, Yves Lefebvre, a police union official, told AP.
The attacker also cried out “Allahu Akbar,” Michel Cadot, the head of the French capital’s police force, told reporters.
The attacker’s remarks led police to believe that he had intended to carry out a terrorist attack.
“We are dealing with an attack from an individual who was clearly aggressive and represented a direct threat, and whose comments lead us to believe that he wished to carry out a terrorist incident,” said Cadot.
The attacker is believed to have acted alone. Two machetes have been found at the scene, according to AP.
French anti-terror police are now looking into the incident, with Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve saying the attack was “clearly of a terrorist nature.”
Five shots were fired at the attacker. It is understood that he sustained injuries to his legs or in the abdomen; police say they are quite serious.
The attacker has not been identified yet.
Source: AFP
