A police officer shot a man who attacked him with a hammer (Picture: Twitter/RahulMetreau)

A police officer has been attacked by a man shouting ‘this is for Syria’ outside the Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris.

French prosecutors said that the 22-year-old approached three officers from behind and launched a hammer attack on them.

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They have launched a terror investigation into the incident which sparked panic in the square outside the cathedral.

The police officer was injured in the attack but managed to shoot the suspect in the chest in the north eastern corner of the square outside the building


The suspect, they added, was operating alone.

There was panic in the square after the gunshots were heard and people started scattering in all directions.

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People were barricaded inside the Notre Dame for about half an hour after the hammer attack and shooting before eventually being let out.

They were ushered into the centre of the building away from windows and told to put sit on the pews.

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As officers prepared to clear the Notre Dame, they told people to put their hands up.

Former White House deputy national security adviser Nancy Soderberg was in the Notre Dame at the time – she was also in London during Saturday’s terror attack.

She tweeted a picture showing people with their arms raised.

They were later told that they would be frisked as they left the building row by row and cathedral staff were praised for keeping people updated with what was going on.

(Picture: Nancy Soderberg)

French police stand guard outside the Notre Dame where a man with a hammer attacked an officer (Picture: Reuters)

Large numbers of police cars sped to the area on the Ile de Cite island in the River Seine.

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The attacker is reported to have survived the shooting but has been injured.

However pictures posted by journalist David Rahul Metreau tweeted a picture showing him lying prostrate on the floor.

Matthew Currie Holmes who was in London during the London Bridge terror attack tweeted saying: ‘So we are trapped in Notre Dame Cathedral. Something is happening outside we don’t know what it is. Police sirens can be heard.

‘We were just told that the doors will remain locked until the police tell us otherwise. We have no idea what’s happening.’

They were later ushered into the middle of the cathedral and sit down in the pews.

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He added: ‘Needless to say my family and I are a little on edge. We were in London when the London bridge attacks happened.’

Mark Johnson from Austin Texas tweeted saying: ‘Loud bangs just now at Notre Dame. Crowd scattered. Sirens going off.’

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People were barricaded inside the cathedral and told to put their hands up (Picture: mch2k)

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told reporters that a police officer in a three-person patrol was lightly wounded in the attack, and the assailant was shot and wounded by a fellow officer. The attacker’s condition was being evaluated.

‘A person came up behind the police officers, armed with a hammer, and started to hit the police officer,’ he said.

The man yelled ‘This is for Syria,’ Collomb said, adding that the attacker appeared to have acted alone.

People were barricaded inside the cathedral

The man armed with a hammer was injured by police

A hammer and kitchen knives were found on the assailant, as well as a student identity card indicating he was from Algeria, Collomb said. He said authorities were working to verify the card’s authenticity.



‘We have passed from a very sophisticated terrorism to a terrorism where any instrument can be used for attacks,’ the interior minister said.

The head of the Municipal Police Defense Union, Cedric Michel, said the attacker was about 40 years old.