What is Known So Far About Louvre Attack in Paris

An unidentified man attacked with a machete military patrol near French Carrousel du Louvre shopping center inside the famous museum on Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The incident occurred at around 09:00 GMT. The assailant, carrying two backpacks, attacked the patrol on the stairs at one of the entrances to the Louvre, shouting "Allah Akbar." The French servicemen opened fire against the armed attacker, wounding him in the stomach. One of the serviceman was wounded in the head. Both injured were hospitalized.

Security measures

The Louvre museum and shops located near it took security measures, once the shouting sounds were heard.

Carrousel du Louvre shops closed their doors, leaving buyers inside. Some 1,600 museum visitors were asked to sit on the floor and remain calm. The evacuation of people was carried out by small groups and only after inspection.

The attack also caused the restriction of pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the nearby area, while Palais Royal Musee du Louvre metro station was closed to the public as a security measure.

Failed terrorist attack 

Reports on the terrorist nature of the attack have immediately spread.

Head of Paris police Michel Cadot, who quickly arrived to the attack scene, told reporters that considering the behavior of the attacker it could be concluded that he sought to commit a terrorist act.

Later in the day, country's Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that the attack on a French serviceman in central Paris was "of a terrorist nature."

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux interrupted their trips to the country's regions and returned to Paris.

Praising servicemen courage

French President Francois Hollande expressed his admiration of the courage that the servicemen performing sentry duty demonstrated during the attack on an officer.

"I praise the courage and determination that the servicemen showed this morning near the Carrousel du Louvre," Hollande posted on his Twitter account.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party, also praised the servicemen for halting an attempted attack on the Louvre museum.

"Support to our servicemen who are at the front line against the Islamist threat and barbarism," Le Pen posted on her Twitter account.

The same kind of message was posted by French Socialist Party’s candidate Benoit Hamon in his Twitter.

Tragic coincidence

The attack near Louvre occurred exactly two years after a similar incident in Nice on February 3, 2015, when a man attacked soldiers guarding a Jewish cultural center. As a result, one soldier got deep cuts on his cheek, the other was shot in the arm. The attacker was arrested on the spot.

France has been on high security alert since a string of gun and bomb attacks by Islamists killed 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015. The state of emergency was prolonged until the end of January 2017, following a truck attack in the city of Nice, which claimed over 80 lives.