'Man With Hammer' Attacks Police Officer Outside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

Police officers seal off the access to Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France, Tuesday, June 6, 2017. Paris police say an unidentified assailant has attacked a police officer near the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the officer then shot and wounded the attacker. (AP Photo/Matthieu Alexandre)

A man armed with kitchen knives and a hammer attacked a police officer stationed outside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris Tuesday afternoon. The officer was wounded before police managed to shoot the attacker. Immediately after the incident, the cathedral was locked down:

An Algerian student shouted ‘this is for Syria’ as he attacked a police officer outside the Notre Dame Cathedral https://t.co/qqFPZPKN1w pic.twitter.com/dL4C1cYE7C

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) June 6, 2017

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said that the attacker was carrying the ID card of a student from Algeria.

At the moment of the attack, thousands of people were inside the cathedral, eyewitnesses said. However, most remained calm once they understood something was going on. Apparently, Europeans are getting so used to terror attacks that we all know how to respond by now: stay calm, make sure you know where the danger is coming from, and listen to the authorities who’ll help you get to safety.

After the lockdown, people who were trapped inside were slowly allowed to leave — obviously after they had been submitted to security checks.

Yes, French police are treating it as a “terrorist incident.”

UPDATE:

AFP reports: