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Louvre attacker refuses to talk to French investigators: report

Xinhua, February 5, 2017 Adjust font size:

The machete-wielding man who attacked soldiers near Louvre Museum before being shot and seriously wounded, remained silent on Sunday during a questioning over his assault, a local newspaper reported.

"In a short hearing at the end of Sunday morning, the attacker refuses to speak to investigators," the daily Le Figaro reported, citing a source close to the inquiry.

On Friday morning, the man armed with two machetes attacked four soldiers patrolling the Carrousel du Louvre shopping centre in the French capital, shouting Allahou Akbar (God the Greatest).

He slightly injured a soldier in his scalp before he was shot and seriously wounded.

Identified as Abdullah Reda al-Hamamy, the 29-year Egyptian national was placed into custody on Saturday after he was declared able to answer investigators questions over his attack, the report added.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said the man arrived in France from Dubai at the end of January after acquiring a one-month tourist visa.

Investigation is underway to determine the motive and to establish whether he acted alone or have been guided, the prosecutor added. Endit