Attack at the Louvre: French soldier opens fire on machete-wielding assailant

Shots have been fired at the Louvre in Paris on 3 February, following a terrorist incident in the museum's 'Carousel' area when a man reportedly attacked a soldier with a machete.

France's Ministry of Interior has said in a series of statements on social media that one soldier in the Louvre sustained an injury to his scalp. A second soldier shot the attacker in the abdomen. The assailant, who has not been identified, is alive and is receiving emergency medical treatment.

According to AFP, the French Prime Minster Bernard Cazeneuve has said the incident was "obviously" a terrorist attack.

A second man, believed to be an accomplice, has also been arrested by authorities as they evacuated 250 individuals from the Louvre. The Ministry of Interior has praised the professional conduct of the police and military in the face of threat, saying the incident was over. It added that two rucksacks belonging to the attacker had been recovered and neither contained any explosive materials.

The French armed forces, deployed to protect the high-profile gallery, opened fire discharging five bullets in the area, which sits below the Louvre's iconic pyramid and is usually filled with visitors queuing for tickets, the ministry said.

In response to the attack one metro station, Palais Royal in proximity to the Louvre, was closed. The the area around the museum including its large public gardens have also been closed off.

Reports in the French media have stated the attacker shouted "Allahu akbar" or "God is great" in Arabic as he made his attack.

"A grave public security incident is underway in Paris in the area of the Louvre, the priority is for the intervention of security forces and assistance," the Ministry of Interior said in a statement.

France has been under a state of emergency since November 2015 and the Paris Attacks that killed 130 people. The Islamic State (Isis) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Under the state of emergency police have been given extended powers of search and arrest. Security forces have been deployed at high-profile 'soft targets' such as the Louvre, where French authorities fear an attack on civilians.