The area around theย Louvre Museum in Paris was blocked off Friday after a soldier shot a man wieldingย a knife, according to media reports.
Leย Monde reported that the incident happened at the Carrousel du Louvre, an underground shopping center near the entrance to the world-famous museum.
Reuters said the man tried to enter the museum’s shopping mall with a suitcaseย beforeย attacking the soldier. Another soldierย shot and seriously wounded the assailant,ย Reuters said.
The attacker was shot in the legs and the soldier was injured on the arm, thelocal.fr reported
BFM TV said the man, who hadย two briefcases, pulled out aย knife and attacked the soldier after he was refused entry to the center.
Museum officials said the Louvre was closed and that visitors who were inside at the time ofย the attack remainedย there.
Evรฉnement grave de #sรฉcuritรฉ publique en cours ร #Paris quartier du #Louvre, prioritรฉ ร l'intervention des forces de sรฉcuritรฉ et de secours pic.twitter.com/PxTLacJk7a
— Ministรจre de l'Intรฉrieur et des Outre-mer (@Interieur_Gouv) February 3, 2017
Friend sends pic from inside the #Louvre , tourists being evacuated into locked down halls pic.twitter.com/1UxMkBsmPJ
— ็ไธฐ Wang Feng (@ulywang) February 3, 2017
Source: Reports: Soldier shoots attacker near Louvre in Paris