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Louvre attack: 'My son is no terrorist', says suspect's father Louvre attack: My son is no terrorist, says suspect's father
(about 2 hours later)
The father of a suspected militant shot by French soldiers as he carried out a machete attack at the Louvre museum in Paris says his son is not a terrorist. The father of a man shot by a French soldier as he carried out a machete attack at the Louvre museum in Paris says his son is not a terrorist.
Retired police general Reda al-Hamamy said his son Abdullah "is a simple guy". Retired Egyptian police general Reda al-Hamamy accused the soldier who shot him of "using brute force with a poor young man".
The attacker, a 29-year-old Egyptian, was shot in the stomach while shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest") on Friday. The French authorities say his son Abdullah, 29, was shot when he attacked the soldiers, injuring one of them.
He is no longer in a critical condition, AFP news agency reports. They say he shouted the Islamic phrase "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest").
However the police source cited by AFP said the man was still unable to communicate and could not be questioned. A French police source said Abdullah Hamamy was no longer in a critical condition but was still unable to communicate and could not yet be questioned.
French officials have not confirmed the identity of the suspect, but Egyptian security sources have named him as Abdullah Reda al-Hamamy. French officials have not confirmed the identity of the injured man but Egyptian security sources named him.
Abdullah arrived in France on 26 January after obtaining a tourist visa in Dubai, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said on Friday.
Police are trying to establish if he acted alone or under instructions, he added.
Mr al-Hamamy, Abdullah's father, told Reuters news agency that his son had not been radicalised and labelling him a terrorist was "nonsense".
The incident at the Louvre occurred at the entrance of an underground shopping centre leading to the museum, home to the Mona Lisa and other celebrated works of art.
Hundreds of visitors were inside the museum at the time. The attack led to an evacuation, but the Louvre reopened on Saturday morning.
Armed police and soldiers patrolled the site on Saturday, which had been closed immediately after Friday's attack, as international tourists lined up to gain entrance.
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President Francois Hollande praised the soldiers' actions, saying they had "prevented an attack whose terrorist nature leaves little doubt".President Francois Hollande praised the soldiers' actions, saying they had "prevented an attack whose terrorist nature leaves little doubt".
The suspect is believed to have bought two machetes after arriving in Paris. The Louvre, which is home to numerous celebrated art works, including the Mona Lisa, reopened on Saturday.
The guards on patrol outside the museum were just some of the thousands of troops lining the streets as part of the stepped-up response to a series of attacks in France since 2015. 'Cover-up'
A series of assaults by gunmen and suicide bombers claimed by so-called Islamic State killed 130 people in November 2015. The suspect arrived in France on 26 January after obtaining a tourist visa in Dubai, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said on Friday. He is believed to have bought two machetes after arriving.
In January of the same year, 17 people were killed in an attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and linked shootings. Cans of spray paint, but no explosives, were found in his backpack, Mr Molins added.
Last July, 86 people were killed when a lorry ploughed through crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice. The injured man's father told Reuters news agency his son had not been radicalised and that it was "nonsense" to call him a terrorist.
"This is a cover-up so they don't have to apologise or justify the acts of this soldier who used brute force with a poor young man of 29," he said, speaking in Daqahliya, Egypt.
The incident at the Louvre occurred at the entrance of an underground shopping centre leading to the museum.
Hundreds of visitors were inside the museum at the time of the attack and were evacuated.
Armed police and soldiers patrolled the site on Saturday as international tourists lined up to gain entrance.
The guards on patrol outside the museum were just some of the thousands of troops lining the streets as part of the stepped-up response to a series of attacks in France in recent years:
Security has become a theme of the French presidential election in April, which sees far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist independent Emmanuel Macron leading the polls.Security has become a theme of the French presidential election in April, which sees far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist independent Emmanuel Macron leading the polls.