A man, who attempted a knife attack on soldiers, has been shot and injured outside the Louvre museum in Paris.
French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve described the act as “terrorist in nature”. One soldier was slightly injured in the incident.
The attempted attack took place at about 10am on a stairway in the Carrousel du Louvre, an underground shopping centre near the entrance to the Louvre, which is one of the world’s most-visited museums, The Guardian reported.
Bomb disposal specialists checked two rucksacks allegedly carried by the suspected attacker at the scene and found no explosives.
Michel Cadot, Paris police prefect, told media that the man headed towards soldiers “armed with a machete” and yelled “Allahu Akbar”. The man was shot at five time.
“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.” Cadot was quoted by media as saying.
Soon after the incident, Police sealed off entrances around the location of the attack and closed the area to vehicles. Visitors to the Louvre were held inside safe areas before the all-clear was given and they were allowed to move around as normal.
Louvre museum is home to world famous art works, including Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Monalisa’.
