Obtained by ABC News(PARIS) — Footage shows the moment a hammer-wielding man was shot and wounded near the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris Tuesday.
In the video obtained by ABC News, the attacker lunges at a policeman with a hammer. He is then seen tumbling to the ground after he’s shot by another officer.
The man allegedly shouted “This is for Syria” as he attacked outside the cathedral, according to French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb. Another police officer shot and wounded the assailant, who is now in the hospital, according to officials.
The three policemen, who were “in charge of surveillance, especially for tourists around Notre-Dame,” were on patrol when the man allegedly approached one officer from behind and started hitting him with a hammer, said Collomb.
In addition to the hammer, the suspect was armed with kitchen knives and other unsophisticated weapons, Collomb said, adding that he appeared to have acted alone.
The injured officer is recovering in the hospital, according to police. The Paris counter-terrorism office has opened an investigation following the incident, the French prosecutor’s office said.
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.