Soldier Opens Fire After Man Tried to Enter Paris Louvre Museum With Suitcase

French soldier opened fire after a suspicious man with a machete had tried to enter the Louvre museum in Paris, France with two backpacks on Friday.

The man had been trying to get into the museum's underground shop with two backpacks.

#Attaque du militaire: le préfet de #Paris évoque une "tentative #terroriste"
>> https://t.co/mxTCxCoHcS#France #Louvre pic.twitter.com/aqbcAp7IOO

— Sputnik France (@sputnik_fr) February 3, 2017

​The French soldier suffered a minor trauma, whereas the unknown man sustained a severe injury. The identity of the attacker remains unknown.

Something is going down at The #Louvre 30 National Police vehicles with guns drawn pic.twitter.com/kpLTCtVdZN

— VoiceB0xx (@voiceb0xx) February 3, 2017

Shortly after the news emerged, French Interior Ministry posted a message on Twitter: "Serious public security incident under way in Paris in the Louvre area."

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

Police cordoned off access to the Louvre, Reuters reports.

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© AFP 2023 / BERTRAND GUAY

Police patrol in front of the Louvre Pyramid at the Louvre museum in Paris on November 14, 2015, following a series of coordinated attacks in and around Paris late Friday which left more than 120 people dead. According to witnesses, at least 5 people were killed in the immediate area by attackers wielding automatic rifles. AFP PHOTO / BERTRAND GUAY
BERTRAND GUAY / AFP

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© REUTERS / Christian Hartmann

French police secure the site near the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France, February 3, 2017 after a French soldier shot and wounded a man armed with a knife after he tried to enter the Louvre museum in central Paris carrying a suitcase, police sources said. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

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© AFP 2023 / BERTRAND GUAY

Police patrol in front of the Louvre Pyramid at the Louvre museum in Paris on November 14, 2015, following a series of coordinated attacks in and around Paris late Friday which left more than 120 people dead. According to witnesses, at least 5 people were killed in the immediate area by attackers wielding automatic rifles. AFP PHOTO / BERTRAND GUAY
BERTRAND GUAY / AFP

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© REUTERS / Christian Hartmann

French police secure the site near the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France, February 3, 2017 after a French soldier shot and wounded a man armed with a knife after he tried to enter the Louvre museum in central Paris carrying a suitcase, police sources said. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

According to RATP, the public transport operator, the nearby Palais Royal Musee du Louvre metro station was closed to the public as a security measure.

Friend sends pic from inside the #Louvre, tourists being evacuated into locked down halls pic.twitter.com/1UxMkBsmPJ

— Wang Feng (@ulywang) February 3, 2017

Tourists told to sit on ground in locked halls inside the #Louvre pic.twitter.com/Ux1PTh4gbs

— Wang Feng (@ulywang) February 3, 2017

Michel Cadot, Paris police chief said that no explosives were found in the attacker's bag at the Louvre, Reuters reported.

Cadot revealed that the attacker cried out "Allahu Akbar." "I think this was an attack by an individual who obviously intended to cause harm," he said, adding that the remark suggested a "terrorist nature" to the assault.

Cadot added that another suspicious individual was detained following the incident: "There was also a second individual who was behaving suspiciously, who has also been detained, but for now there does not appear to be a link between that individual and the attack."

French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve commented on the situation by calling the attack "terrorist in nature."

Following the incident, Public Prosecutor's office announced that French anti-terror police opened an investigation into the Louvre attack.

Since 2015, France has faced a number of deadly terrorist attacks. The country is currently on its highest state of alert, with thousands of troops patrolling the streets every day.

In early January 2015, Islamists killed 17 people in attacks at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo's office and a kosher food shop in Paris.

On November 13, 2015, Daesh terrorists conducted a series of coordinated attacks in the French capital, killing 130 people and injuring more than 350, many critically.

On July 14, 2016, a truck rammed into a large crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice. At least 84 people, including children, were killed and hundreds of others were injured.