Hollande calls machete-wielding attack ‘savage assault’

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French President Francois Hollande on Friday called the machete-wielding attack near the Louvre Museum a "savage attack", reiterating his determination to combat terrorism and ensure security at home.

In a statement issued by his office, Hollande "reaffirms the state's determination to act relentlessly to defend the security of our compatriots and fight terrorism."

The French president also "salutes the courage and determination" of the soldiers who succeeded in neutralizing the attacker.

French police officers patrol near the Louvre Museum on February 3, 2017 in Paris, after a soldier on duty outside the museum shot and seriously injured a machete-wielding attacker. /CFP Photo

Earlier on Friday, an "aggressive" man armed with a machete, yelling Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest) menaced soldiers who were securing the capital's landmark museum.

The attacker, whose identity remains unknown, slightly injured one serviceman before the other soldiers fired five bullets at him, according to Paris police chief Michel Cadot.

French police officers patrol near the Louvre Museum on February 3, 2017 in Paris, after a soldier on duty outside the museum shot and seriously injured a machete-wielding attacker. /CFP Photo

In a statement, the public prosecutor opened an anti-terrorism inquiry into the attack, which Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said was "obviously of a terrorist nature."

France's President Francois Hollande speaks on the phone during a European Union summit on February 3, 2017 in Malta. /CFP Photo

France has been the target of terrorist groups in response to its military operations in Syria, Iraq and the Sahel region.

An attack, claimed by ISIL, took the lives of 86 victims when a man drove a truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the southern French city of Nice last summer.

(Source: Xinhua)

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