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Machete attack on officers near Louvre might be 'terrorist in nature'

A French soldier opened fire this morning at the Louvre museum after a man tried to attack him

Photo {{sliderIndex+1}} from 4

© AP Photo/Thibault Camus

© AP Photo/Thibault Camus

© AP Photo/Christophe Ena

© AP Photo/Christophe Ena

PARIS, February 3. /Mikhail Timofeev/TASS/.According to the French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, the attack was likely an attampt to carry out an act of terrorism. A second suspect has been detained.

"Most likely it was an attempt to carry out a terrorist attack", Cazeneuve stated.

Tourists told to sit on ground in locked halls inside the #Louvre pic.twitter.com/Ux1PTh4gbs
— Wang Feng (@ulywang) 3 February 2017

The man cried out "Allahu Akbar", and the police believe he wanted to carry out a terrorist attack, the head of the French capital's police Michel Cadot said earlier.

#louvre attacker's remarks have led #Paris police to believe he wanted to carry out a #terrorist attack, the head of Paris police says
— Sarah Taylor (@SarahTaylorNews) 3 February 2017

An unknown man with two backpacks intended to enter the underground shopping mall Carousel, located very close to the Louvre museum. When the officers tried to check what was inside his handbag, the suspect took a knife and a machete and attacked the soldiers shouting "Allahu Akbar" and other threats. One soldier was lightly injured, the attacker was shot by another soldier. The attacker has not been identified yet.

A large area around the museum has been sealed off, the closest metro station to the Louvre has been closed. The museum officials closed Louvre and kept the visitors inside. The French interior ministry said anti-terrorism prosecutors are investigating the case.

'An assault at Louvre museum in Paris (video footage) '

France is under a state of emergency following a spate of terror attacks in which more than 230 people have been killed. In December, 2016, parliament voted to extend the measure to July, 2017.

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