French Soldiers Open Fire in Terror Attack at Louvre Museum

PARIS (AP) — A knife-wielding man shouting "Allahu akbar" attacked soldiers on patrol Friday near the Louvre Museum in Paris in what the French president called a terrorist attack. The soldiers first tried to fight off the attacker and then opened fire, shooting him five times. The attack at an entrance to the shopping mall that extends beneath the museum sowed panic and highlighted again the threat that French officials say hangs over the country, which was hit repeatedly by extremist attacks in 2015 and 2016. There were no immediate details about the identity of the attacker, who has been hospitalized. Anti-terrorism prosecutors took charge of the investigation and French President Francois Hollande said the assailant would be questioned "when it is possible to do so." The Louvre — one of France's and the world's biggest tourist attractions — went into emergency lock-down after the attack. The 1,200 people inside at the time were first shuttled into windowless rooms as part of a special security protocol, then were evacuated later. The famed, sprawling museum in central Paris will remain closed for the rest of Friday for further security reasons but will reopen on Saturday, Culture Minister Audrey Azoulay told reporters. At a news conference in Malta, site of a European Union summit, Hollande said the situation around the Paris landmark museum is "totally under control" but the overall threat to France remains. He praised the courage of ...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: News WMD & Terrorism Source Type: news