Louvre attack suspect remains silent
PARIS — An Egyptian man suspected of charging soldiers at Paris’ Louvre museum with a machete was questioned by French investigators Sunday for the first time since the attack.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said the suspect, who allegedly shouted “Allahu akbar!” while rushing toward the soldiers and was shot four times after slightly injuring one, remained silent during the interview and will remain in custody.
The Louvre was closed immediately following the Friday attack, but reopened for the weekend.
French authorities so far have not named the suspect, but confirmed they thought he was Egyptian. They are being more cautious than their Egyptian counterparts, who have identified the attacker as 28year-old Abdullah Reda Refaie al-Hamahmy.
Hamahmy’s father spoke out Saturday to say that his son is not a terrorist, but a family man who led a normal life with his wife and infant son.
Reda Refaie al-Hamahmy told The Associated Press late Saturday that he trusts the French judiciary to find out the truth behind his Abdullah’s alleged involvement in the attack.
“If he is convicted, God be with us. But if he is innocent, they owe us an apology,” the father said at the family home in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura.
“He is a very respectable man who never had a problem with anybody, he never had any sort of political views,” he said. “His main concern in his life was his work in the United Arab Emirates,” he said, adding that his son had gone to France on a “work assignment.”
Abdullah has lived in Dubai for the past five years, employed by what his father said was a law firm.
Ibrahim Youssry, a close friend of Abdullah al-Hamahmy, said his behaviour on the day of the attack did not betray any intention to commit an act of violence.
However, Egyptian officials said one recent tweet by Abdullah al-Hamahmy defended the Islamic State.
“Why are they sacred of the Islamic State? Because the Islamic State defends its resources, territory, the honour and dignity of Muslims,” he wrote.