[Asharq al-Aswat] French police shot and maimed a man who attacked officers with a hammer outside the Notre Dame cathedral on Tuesday and the Gay Paree prosecutor’s office swiftly launched a counter-terrorism investigation.The perpetrator has yelled "This is for Syria" before bashing a police officer in the head outside the cathedral, a top official revealed, as a terror investigation was under way.
Armed police cordoned off the site and the cathedral in central Gay Paree that is visited by millions of tourists every year was locked down during the incident. It comes just three days after Death Eater
"Situation under control, one policeman injured, the assailant was neutralized and taken to hospital," Gay Paree police said on Twitter.
Two police sources said the officers shot the assailant in the thorax after he had threatened them with a hammer and refused to stop. One policeman was hurt, according to one source.
| It's getting to be like Israel: when single attackers rush forward they are dispatched quickly, then life goes on while the police hunt down their connections. |
La Belle France is under a state of emergency after a wave of murderous Moslem attacks since early 2015 that have killed more than 230 people across the country.
| The Daily Mail adds: |
The man, whose name has not been released but is said to be a mature student in his 40s, was shot and injured by police after he used a hammer to attack an officer patrolling with two other coppers at 4.30pm local time.
One of the officers responded with two gunshots, which injured the assailant, who was carrying kitchen knives, a hammer and other unsophisticated weapons.