President Hollande Praises Soldiers
At a meeting of EU leaders in Malta, French President Francois Hollande praised the courage and determination of the soldiers. "This operation undoubtedly prevented an attack whose terrorist nature leaves little doubt," he said.
Attacker an Egyption National
According to the police, the attacker is an Egyptian national who came to France in the beginning on January.
Paintspray cans - but no explosives - were found in his back packs.
The identity of the perpetrator is not formally established, but the searches allow to identify a 29-year-old Egyptian citizen.Francois Molins
Molins said the attacker was not carrying an ID but a photo registered in Visabio (a European biometric database including digital photography and fingerprints of visa applicants) was the same of the machete-wielding man.
During a raid in the suspect's residence rented in Paris' eighth district, the police found $970 in cash, an iPad and several pre-paid cards.
Man Armed with Machete
The man was carrying a machete and carried two bags on his person and had no explosives in his bags.
The soldier who fired the bullets was from one of the patrolling groups that have become a common sight around the capital since a state of emergency was declared across France in November 2015.
'Attacker Yelled Allahu Akbar'
An individual who attacked a soldier at Paris' Louvre site on Friday cried out "Allahu Akbar" and police believe he wanted to carry out a terrorist attack, Michel Cadot, the head of the French capital's police force, said on Friday.
We are dealing with an attack from an individual who was clearly aggressive and represented a direct threat, and whose comments lead us to believe that he wished to carry out a terrorist 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," added Cadot.
Cadot said the soldier who had been attacked had suffered some light wounds, and that others soldiers had fired five shots at the attacker, wounding the man.
He added that no explosives had been found in the attacker's bag at the Louvre.
Attacker's Identity Unknown
The identity and nationality of the individual suspected of attacking a soldier at Paris' Louvre site remains unknown for now, according to Pierre-Henry Brandet, the French interior ministry spokesman.
The anti-terror police has opened an investigation into Louvre museum attack.