Soldier shoots knife-wielding attacker in Paris

French officials describe the incident as a suspected terror attack.

Police forces seen outside the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris on February 3, 2017 after a knife-wielding man shouting “Allahu akbar” attacked French soldiers on patrol near the Louvre museum where the famous “Mona Lisa” hangs. Officials described the incident as a suspected terror attack.

A French soldier on patrol at the Louvre museum shot and seriously injured a machete-wielding attacker on Friday.

Police held hundreds of tourists in secure areas of the renowned tourist attraction after the assailant was shot five times around 10.00 a.m. (2.30 p.m. IST) in a public area near one of the museum’s entrances.

The knifeman, who yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ (‘God is great’), is in a serious condition. One soldier received a ‘minor’ head wound and has been taken to hospital, security forces said.

Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the incidentwas “terrorist in nature.”

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that a “new radical Islamic terrorist has just attacked in Louvre Museum in Paris. Tourists were locked down. France on edge again. GET SMART U.S.”

Shoppers, sightseers and workers fled the Louvre complex.

City police chief Michel Cadot told reporters that a man, whose behaviour was “suspicious”, had also been arrested.