Paris police shoot attacker outside Notre-Dame Cathedral 

The Hill,6 Jun 2017:

Paris police shot and injured a man on Tuesday who allegedly tried to attack an officer with a hammer outside of the city’s Notre-Dame Cathedral, according to Agence France-Presse.

The man had reportedly attempted to attack the officer while he was on patrol near the cathedral. Another officer shot the suspect, AFP reported.

The suspect has reportedly been hospitalized with minor injuries.

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said at a news conference shortly after the attack that the suspect is an Algerian student and is believed to have acted on his own. In addition to the hammer, the suspect was also carrying kitchen knives. 

“There’s been no other news of claims or actions,” Collomb said, according to a translation. “The man who attacked today was on his own. From what we understand there was nobody else. He was not working in conjunction with anybody.”

Earlier reports said that police were responding to gunshots in the area, causing panic and leaving people trapped inside the historic cathedral.

Notre-Dame is among the country’s most famous and highly-trafficked tourist attractions. Police are urging the public to avoid the area.

Paris has suffered a bout of deadly terrorist attacks in recent years, including a November 2015 attack that left 130 people dead and hundreds injured. French authorities have not yet said if they are considering Tuesday’s attack an act of terrorism.

France is currently on its highest level of terror alert.

The episode follows two high-profile attacks in the United Kingdom. One of those attacks, in Manchester, England, last month, left 22 people dead and dozens wounded. Another attack last weekend killed seven people and injured 48.

Paris officer attacked with hammer outside Notre Dame 

The Associated Press ,6 Jun 2017:
PARIS-  A police officer shot and wounded a man who attacked him with a hammer near Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday, Paris police and a police union official said.
Union official Cedric Michel said a man armed with a hammer went after the police officer, who was patrolling the esplanade in front of the world-famous cathedral known for its gothic architecture and gargoyles. Michel said the attacker was “neutralized” by police.
A police spokesperson told The Associated Press that the officer used his weapon to shoot the assailant. The spokesperson was not authorized to be publicly named. He said the attacker was being taken to a hospital.
The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. Large numbers of police cars filled the area on the Ile de Cite island in the Seine River in the centre of Paris as authorities urged people to stay away from the area.

Around 900 tourists were trapped inside the cathedral as police opened fire on a hammer attacker

Witnesses described a dramatic police operation in the tourist-filled area.
Lawrence Langner, a 73-year-old American visiting the neighbourhood just across the Seine River from the cathedral, told The Associated Press that he suddenly heard a commotion and two detonations like gunshots.
Journalist David Metreau, who said his office overlooks the square that fronts Notre Dame, tweeted that there were two blasts that sounded like shots. He posted a photo of a body lying seemingly inert on the ground.
Others posted photos online of what appeared to be the interior of medieval Notre Dame, one of France’s most-visited monuments.
Police said the operation was over about an hour after it started.
Paris remains under high security after a string of Islamic extremist attacks in recent years, including several targeting police officers and security personnel.
In April, an attacker opened fire on a police van on Paris’ Champs Elysees, killing one and gravely wounding two others. The attacker was shot dead by police.
The incident recalled two recent attacks on soldiers providing security at prominent locations around Paris, one at the Louvre museum in February and one at Orly airport in March.

PARIS, France (KTRK) ,6 Jun 2017:

There’s a big police presence outside the Notre Dame Cathedral after an alleged attacker was shot by police, French media report.

Reports indicate that a man attacked an officer with a hammer before he was shot.

Police are urging people in the area to stay away.

Several people have been sharing photos saying they are safe and inside cathedral.

Large numbers of police cars filled the area on the Ile de Cite island in the River Seine in the center of Paris.

Paris is under high security after a string of Islamic extremist attacks in recent years. 

Reuters: BREAKING:Paris police say they are attending an incident at Notre Dame and warn public to stay away

AFP:  BREAKING Police shoot, injure attacker outside Paris’s Notre-Dame cathedral: authorities

SKY NEWS,6 Jun 2017:

A man has been shot and injured after reportedly attacking a police officer with a hammer at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

Police in the France capital warned people to stay away from the site, on the Ile de Cite island on the River Seine, on via Twitter message.

The officer was injured during the assault, before the attacker was shot by colleagues, police confirmed.

The area in front of the cathedral has been sealed off, with French TV reporting that tourists were fleeing the scene.

Paris is on high alert after a series of Islamic extremist attacks in recent years.