What we know about the attack on the military at the Carrousel du Louvre – The World

A man armed with two machetes rushed Friday on a patrol in the Louvre. Wounded, the arrested man was placed in police custody at the hospital.

While the museum in paris has reopened in the morning, the author of the attack with the machete at the Carrousel du Louvre Friday, has been placed in police custody at the hospital, Saturday, 4 February evening.

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• What happened

on Friday at around 9: 50 p.m., in the shopping mall of the Carrousel du Louvre, a man walked up to four military personnel patrolling at the entrance of the mall which gives access to the Louvre Museum, the upstream security controls, detailed the prosecutor of Paris, François Molins, at a press briefing.

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carrying a backpack and a black t-shirt ” with a death’s head “, ” armed with a machete in each hand, arms raised and folded behind the head, he rushed on them, shouting : "Allahu akbar". “ He knocked on the head, a first member, which has been slightly wounded in the scalp. After attempting to repel the assailant for the first time without the use of his weapon, a second soldier opened fire, four times, wounding him seriously.

The evidence found in his phone and searches performed on Visabio, a database of biometric data of visa applicants, have allowed to “target” an Egyptian 29-year-old unknown services of the French police, which could be Abdallah El-Hamahmy, provided that this identity has not been spoofed.

This resident in the united arab Emirates legally entered France on 26 January, with a tourist visa, by a flight from Dubai, before staying in an apartment close to Champs-Elysées, revealed Friday, the prosecutor of Paris, François Molins.

Questioned by AFP, his father explained that he works as a commercial director at Sharjah, in the Uae, it ” had gone on a business trip “ in Paris, and that he was ” visit the museum “ before ” leaving Saturday “.

supported at the european hospital Georges-Pompidou, after having been badly wounded in the belly by the fire response of a military, his condition is much improved Saturday. His prognosis is not engaged. Wounded in the stomach and intubated, the man can however still not be heard by the investigators at this stage, according to a source, which states that ” the situation may evolve “. Her custody to the hospital, which started at 18: 45, can last 96 hours, the time limit provided for in cases of terrorism.

The anti-terrorist prosecutor has opened, on Friday, a survey for ” assassination attempts aggravated in relation with a terrorist enterprise ” because of the nature of the targets and the modus operandi of the assault. The investigations have been entrusted to the anti-terrorist Section of the brigade of the Paris crime and the Directorate-general of internal security (ISB). The hearings are expected to begin Sunday morning, subject to the evolution of his state of health.

A search conducted in the apartment of the suspect resulted in the discovery of 965 euros, two cases machete, a passport, including visas to saudi Arabia and two visas for Turkey in 2015 and 2016, and a resident permit emirati. The investigations will need to ” determine the motivations of the author, and if he acted alone or on the instruction “, said Mr Molins.

• Is this a terrorist act ?

The motivations of the assailant are not yet known, but it is” an act whose terrorist nature is little doubt “, for the president François Hollande. No mark of allegiance to a group jihadist was found during the search in the dwelling he has rented.

But the investigators, who questioned his motives and possible accomplices, examine the tweets posted in Arabic on an account in the name of Abdallah El Hamahmy. A dozen messages were posted between 9h27 and 9h34, a few minutes before the attack.

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We read ” in The name of Allah (…) to our brothers and sisters in Syria and the fighters “ and, a minute later, a tweet in which he seems to lend its support to the group jihadist islamic State (EI), that continues to threaten the France of retaliation for his participation in the military coalition international in Iraq and Syria, two countries in which it has proclaimed a caliphate in 2014.

The father of the Egyptian declared that his son had not shown any sign of radicalization, and had been news since Friday.