A 29-year-old Egyptian man has been confirmed as the suspect in the terror attack on soldiers guarding the Louvre Museum in Paris, a source close to the case told DPA on Tuesday.
The man, Abdullah Reda al-Hamamy, who has been in hospital in a critical condition after being wounded by a gunshot from a soldier during last Friday's attack, has confirmed his identity and is now talking to investigators after initially remaining silent.
Wielding a machete in each hand, the suspect allegedly attacked four soldiers guarding the Louvre in the heart of Paris, shouting "Allahu Akbar". A French soldier fired five shots in self-defence, the French Interior Ministry said.
The suspect was then brought to the Georges Pompidou Hospital. Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the attack was "obviously of a terrorist nature."
Before the identity of the attacker had been verified, investigators suspected he may have been a 29-year-old Egyptian who travelled from Dubai to Paris on January 26 on a valid visa. A photograph in the visa system matched that of the attacker.
It is not yet clear why the suspect carried out the attack, or whether he acted alone or on orders.
France has been rocked by terrorism over the past two years. Attacks in Paris and Nice, among others, have cost 238 people their lives.
After the Paris attacks in November 2015, the country declared a state of emergency, which it recently voted to extend until July 2017.
Abdullah Reda al-Hamamy is suspected of attacking a soldier in Paris' Louvre museum.
