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| Paris knife attack: soldier shoots man outside Louvre in 'terrorist' incident | Paris knife attack: soldier shoots man outside Louvre in 'terrorist' incident |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A man has been shot and injured outside the Louvre museum in Paris after attempting a knife attack on soldiers patrolling the area. | A man has been shot and injured outside the Louvre museum in Paris after attempting a knife attack on soldiers patrolling the area. |
| One soldier was slightly injured in the incident, which was described by the French prime minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, as “terrorist in nature”. | One soldier was slightly injured in the incident, which was described by the French prime minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, as “terrorist in nature”. |
| 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 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. |
| Two rucksacks carried by the suspected attacker were checked by bomb disposal specialists at the scene and were found not to contain explosives. | Two rucksacks carried by the suspected attacker were checked by bomb disposal specialists at the scene and were found not to contain explosives. |
| Michel Cadot, the Paris police prefect, said the man headed towards soldiers “armed with a machete” and shouting threats and “Allahu Akbar”. He was shot at five times and is in a serious condition. | Michel Cadot, the Paris police prefect, said the man headed towards soldiers “armed with a machete” and shouting threats and “Allahu Akbar”. He was shot at five times and is in a serious condition. |
| Cadot told reporters: “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 told reporters: “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.” |
| He added: “There was also a second individual who was behaving suspiciously, who has also been detained, but for now there does not appear to be a link between that individual and the attack.” | He added: “There was also a second individual who was behaving suspiciously, who has also been detained, but for now there does not appear to be a link between that individual and the attack.” |
| Police sealed off entrances around the location of the attack and closed the area to vehicles. Pierre-Henry Brandet, an interior ministry spokesman, said visitors to the Louvre were held inside safe areas before the all-clear was given and they were allowed to move around as normal. | Police sealed off entrances around the location of the attack and closed the area to vehicles. Pierre-Henry Brandet, an interior ministry spokesman, said visitors to the Louvre were held inside safe areas before the all-clear was given and they were allowed to move around as normal. |
| Donald Trump responded to the incident in a tweet that described the suspected attacker as “a new radical Islamic terrorist”. “Tourists were locked down. France on edge again. GET SMART US”, the president wrote. | |
| Soldiers had been patrolling as part of the Opération Sentinelle foot patrols around French landmarks that have been in place since the attack on the magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Paris kosher supermarket in January 2015. | Soldiers had been patrolling as part of the Opération Sentinelle foot patrols around French landmarks that have been in place since the attack on the magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Paris kosher supermarket in January 2015. |
| France remains on its highest state of alert, with thousands of troops patrolling the streets following a string of attacks in the last few years. | France remains on its highest state of alert, with thousands of troops patrolling the streets following a string of attacks in the last few years. |
| The Louvre, a huge former royal palace in the heart of the city, is home to the Mona Lisa and other world-famous works of art as well as a shopping centre and numerous exhibition spaces. | The Louvre, a huge former royal palace in the heart of the city, is home to the Mona Lisa and other world-famous works of art as well as a shopping centre and numerous exhibition spaces. |
| The museum was already suffering from a fall in visitor numbers after recent attacks in France. Last year, visitor numbers fell 15% from 2015 to around 7.3 million. | The museum was already suffering from a fall in visitor numbers after recent attacks in France. Last year, visitor numbers fell 15% from 2015 to around 7.3 million. |