There’s been a serious incident outside the Louvre museum in Paris today. Here’s what we know so far:
A man attacked a soldier outside the Louvre
The man, who was wielding a machete and shouting “Allahu akhbar”, attacked soldiers when they told him he couldn’t enter an underground shopping mall beneath the Louvre with his bags, police union official Yves Lefebvre said.
Officers said a soldier then shot the attacker five times, leaving him seriously injured. The soldier was slightly injured during the assault.
The attacker was carrying machetes and backpacks
Lefebvre said police found two machetes on the man.
He was also carrying two backpacks, but neither contained explosives.
The French interior ministry said that there are no details about the identity of the attacker.
The area has been sealed off to the public
Evénement grave de #sécurité publique en cours à #Paris quartier du #Louvre, priorité à l'intervention des forces de sécurité et de secours pic.twitter.com/PxTLacJk7a
— Ministère Intérieur (@Place_Beauvau) February 3, 2017
A tweet from France’s Interior Ministry said: “Grave public security event under way in Paris in the Louvre quarter, priority (given) to the intervention of security forces and emergency personnel.”
The museum and the surrounding area have been evacuated, with confused tourists being shooed away by officers.
The area is closed to vehicles and trains have been pushed through the Louvre metro station without stopping.
Soldiers are on patrol because of previous terror attacks
France was put under a state of emergency following the terror attacks that claimed hundreds of lives in Paris and Nice.
Soldiers on patrol are part of the increased security measures since these attacks in 2015 and 2016.
Terrorism police are now investigating
The French interior ministry said anti-terrorism prosecutors are investigating this attack.
Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said a second person was also arrested, but it’s unclear whether that person was linked to the attack.
