French soldier shot and wounded machete wielding man outside of the Louvre

A French soldier shot and wounded a man as he tried to carry out an attack at the Louvre. Armed with two machetes, the man screamed “Allah Akbar” at the guards. He also had two backpacks on him during the attack. Police indicated the bags did not contain any explosives. One soldier sustained a superficial scalp injury while trying to subdue the man. A second individual was also arrested for suspicious behavior. The machete wielding man was shot five times, once in the abdomen and four in the legs. The case is being considered an act of terrorism by the Paris prosecutor’s office but the official charges have not been announced yet.

Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the violence was “part of an attempted attack that was terrorist in nature,” adding that authorities needed to be prudent in describing the event. An Interior Ministry spokesman said a second person was detained in connection with the assault.- WSJ

France has been under a state of emergency since 130 people died in the Nov. 2015 attack.

Update 11:30 EST: The suspect has been identified as a 29 year old Egyptian.

Image courtesy of AP