The Louvre museum in Paris has been evacuated after what the French Ministry of the Interior has called a “serious public security event” in which a number of soldier opened fire on a man with a machete who cried “Allahu Akbar”.
Soldiers fired five shots to disable a man at the entrance to the Louvre in Paris, France Friday morning after the machete-wielding attacker shouted threats and the well known Islamist phrase “Allahu Akhbar”, rushed the troops while carrying two backpacks, reports Le Figaro.
The man was shot in the stomach and bomb-disposal teams have been deployed to assess the contents of the man’s bags. Police have said no explosives have been found.
The soldiers, who are among the 100,000 deployed to the streets of France to protect schools, places of worship, railway stations, and sites of touristic interest as part of operation Sentinel were patrolling in a group of three men when the attack took place. One soldier sustained light injuries during the attack.
Soldiers and police secure the Louvre perimeter Friday morning after a knife attack / Getty
Police and Pompiers deployed to the Louvre / AP Images
The world-significant Louvre museum which houses noted artworks including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and the Aphrodite of Milos was evacuated around 10am Central European Time, and surrounded by heavily armed police.
The French interior ministry said Friday morning that some 250 visitors to the Louvre museum had been locked down in secure areas and were being released in small groups.
Prominent Front National politician Marion Le Pen, niece to the party leader who is leading the polls for the coming Presidential elections congratulated the quick-thinking soldiers who neutralised the assailant before the attack. Taking to Twitter, Marechal-Le Pen said: “Kudos to the military that has neutralised the Islamist assailant in the #Louvre”.
Bravo au militaire qui a neutralisé l'assaillant islamiste au #Louvre. Ne baissons pas la garde face au terrorisme !
— Marion Le Pen (@Marion_M_Le_Pen) February 3, 2017
Video shot at the scene by onlookers show officers directing traffic away from the museum and the Carousel du Louvre, the underground reception and shopping centre best known for it’s glass pyramid and at which the attack is understood to have taken place.
A soldier stands guard on Friday morning outside the evacuated Louvre museum / Getty
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The Parisian transit authority RATP has closed the Louvre’s metro station, saying through social media that trains on line 7 would pass without stopping.
The attack comes as France remains on the highest level of alert following terror attacks in 2015 and 2016 which saw 216 killed. The French army has been constantly deployed since the Bataclan attack, with the French government voting to extend the national state of emergency in December.
Evénement grave de #sécurité publique en cours à #Paris quartier du #Louvre, priorité à l'intervention des forces de sécurité et de secours pic.twitter.com/PxTLacJk7a
— Ministère Intérieur (@Place_Beauvau) February 3, 2017
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