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Man shoots himself dead in Notre Dame de Paris Man kills himself inside Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris
(37 minutes later)
A man has shot himself dead inside the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris in the French capital, police say. A 78-year-old man has killed himself inside the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in the French capital, police say, causing its evacuation.
An initial investigation found that the man had killed himself in front of the main altar shortly after 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT). The man pulled out a shot-gun and shot himself through the mouth beside the main altar shortly after 16:00 (14:00 GMT).
Local media reports said he was a 78-year-old writer and essayist. He has been named as Dominique Venner, an award-winning far-right historian.
The cathedral was reportedly evacuated calmly after the shooting, but the exact number of people who were inside at the time was unknown. Mr Venner had recently been involved in the campaign against the government's decision to legalise gay marriage.
More than 850 years old, Notre Dame is the most popular unticketed site in Paris, with upwards of 14 million visitors each year. On Saturday, President Francois Hollande signed the bill into law.
The French news website Europe 1 reported the police had found a letter beside the body of the dead man. 'Acts must follow words'
It identified him as Dominique Venner, a former member of the Secret Army Organisation (OAS), which opposed Algerian independence in the early 1960s. Police said Mr Venner had made no statement before killing himself, although a note was found next to his body. They did not disclose its contents.
Europe 1 also said he had been close to the campaign against the government's recent decision to legalise same-sex marriage. President Francois Hollande signed the bill into law on Saturday. Earlier on Tuesday, he had written on his blog a damning critique of the same-sex marriage bill.
A note posted on Mr Venner's blog on Wednesday condemned the move. "New spectacular and symbolic actions are needed to wake up the sleep walkers and shake the anaesthetised consciousness," he wrote.
"We are entering a time when acts must follow words."
Mr Venner is also a former member of the Secret Army Organisation (OAS), which opposed Algerian independence in the early 1960s and tried to assassinate Charles De Gaulle.
The BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says Notre-Dame is the most visited landmark in France, attracting more than 13 million visitors each year, but security is relatively relaxed.
It would not be difficult to conceal a weapon in a shoulder bag, he says.
The cathedral is celebrating its 850th year, and at the time of Mr Venner's death, it would have been busy, our correspondent adds.
Police said the evacuation began immediately, that there were no further problems, and that the cathedral for the moment remained closed.
"It's unfortunate, it's dramatic, it's shocking," the rector of Notre-Dame, Monsignor Patrick Jacquin, told the Associated Press news agency.
This was the first suicide in decades at the cathedral, he said. A few people had jumped to their deaths from Notre-Dame's twin towers, but no-one was thought to have killed themselves at the altar before, he added.
Our correspondent says this is the second shocking suicide in a week.
Last Thursday, a 50-year-old man with a history of mental problems killed himself with a sawn-off shotgun in front of a dozen children at a private Catholic school next to the Eiffel Tower.