Paris Louvre attack suspect says he is Egyptian

The soldier who shot the man was from one of the patrolling groups which have become a common sight in Paris since a state of emergency was declared in November 2015 following bomb and shooting attacks by Islamist militants.

A French officer is reported to have wounded a man who tried to enter the Louvre with a suitcase in a possible terror attack.

“This is clearly an attack with terrorist characteristics”, Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.

The museum is located in the middle of Paris and serves as one of its most popular tourist attractions. “GET SMART US”, Trump said in a tweet this morning. The injured soldier was not badly hurt.

In a briefing earlier this week, a senior U.S. administration official defended the temporary United States travel ban on refugees and other travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries by saying America was trying to avoid the security situation in France and other European countries.

According to reports the attacker was shot in the legs and seriously injured.

The Paris police press office said it has no other details other than that a soldier opened fire.

When French soldiers stopped him, he pulled out a knife and attacked, shouting “Allahu akbar!”. He was wearing two backpacks, but no explosives were found in them. While officials have refused to disclose the precise locations of the raids, police union official Luc Poignant said one of the raids took place on a street just off the city’s famed Champs-Elysees Avenue.

Chief of Defence Staff General Pierre de Villiers commended the two soldiers involved for their “determination, professionalism and cool-headedness” in subduing the attacker and preventing any casualties.

Cadot said a second man was arrested because of “suspicious behavior” but doesn’t appear to be connected to the incident.

A group of US college students were among those caught up in the security lockdown during the incident. “I heard no gunshots but I heard a lot of police sirens”.

The incident on Friday has thrust security and the terror threat back into the limelight three months before elections in France. The attacker has not been identified yet.

CRIF has consistently expressed gratitude to security forces when they come under attack.