French police have released further details on the recent attack by a hammer-wielding man on a police officer outside Notre Dame in Paris.
The Local fr reports that a government spokesperson said that the attack was an “isolated act,” and that the alleged attacker, Farid Ikken, had “never showed any sign of radicalization.” A terrorism investigation into the incident is still in its early stages.
According to the Washington Post, the attacker was a former journalist working on a doctoral thesis. No group has immediately claimed responsibility, but police searching the attacker’s residence found a declaration of allegiance to ISIS. Surveillance video of the attack shows the man lunging at officers in the plaza outside the cathedral before being shot.
Ikken allegedly attacked a police officer patrolling outside Notre Dame with a hammer Tuesday, lightly wounding him, shouting “this is for Syria.” Police shot and wounded the suspect, who is now in the hospital.
France has been under a state of emergency since the November 2015 terrorist attacks at the Bataclan concert venue in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron extended the state of emergency from July through November 1 following the bombing of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.
Earlier this year, a gunman opened fire on a police van on Paris’ Champs Elysees with an automatic weapon, killing a French police officer and injuring two others. The gunman was then shot dead by security forces while attempting to flee.
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