A soldier on duty near the Louvre museum in the French capital, Paris, opened fire on a man who attempted to attack him with a machete, officials said.
The man had rushed towards a group of soldiers and guards in the Carrousel du Louvre, the underground plaza near the museum, according to Michel Cadot, the Paris prefect. Wielding the weapon, the man shouted “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest), Cadot said.
The soldier fired five shots in response.
The attacker was wearing two backpacks and may have had a second weapon, Cadot said. He was seriously injured by a bullet to the stomach. The solider was lightly injured.
No explosives were found in the backpacks of the man, who was taken into custody alive.
About 200 people are in lock-down inside the Carrousel du Louvre, and the nearby metro station has been shut down, Cadot said.
The French Interior Ministry tweeted that there was an ongoing “serious security incident” near the Louvre.