Man Shouts ‘This Is For Syria’ During Hammer Attack In Paris
Notre Dame cathedral targeted
Pic: Bertrand Guay
French police have called on counter-terrorism authorities for help, after a man armed with a hammer attacked an officer outside Paris' Notre Dame cathedral.
The man apparently shouted "this is for Syria" while running at the patrolling officer with the weapon.
One of the officer's colleagues shot the man, injuring but not killing him. He was 'neutralised' and taken to hospital for treatment.
The attack happened at the world famous tourist site at about 4.30pm local time. Armed police stormed into the cathedral, telling tourists to stand with their hands up.
French interior minister Gerard Collomb has said the attacker, believed to be an Algerian student, was armed with a hammer and kitchen knives.
“We’ve gone from very sophisticated terrorism; now we are at a point where we have this basic terrorism using any basic tools they can find,” Mr Collomb said
The minister believed the man was not working in conjunction with others.