Hammer-wielding man attacks cops at Paris cathedral

PARIS — An assailant wielding a hammer attacked Paris police guarding Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday, crying “This is for Syria!” before being shot and wounded by officers outside one of France’s most popular tourist sites.

At least 600 people were blocked inside the iconic 12th-century church while police first secured the streets around it, then combed the pews while visitors sat with their hands raised. Others fled in panic from the sprawling esplanade outside the cathedral.

The assault was the latest act of violence targeting security forces at high-profile sites in France, which remains under a state of emergency after a string of Islamic extremist attacks.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but police searching a residence linked to the attacker in the Paris suburb of Cergy-Pontoise found a declaration of allegiance to the Islamic State group, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told reporters that a police officer in a three-person patrol suffered a minor injury in the attack, and that a fellow officer shot and wounded the assailant. The attacker’s condition was being evaluated.

A hammer and kitchen knives were found on the assailant, as well as a student identity card indicating he was from Algeria, Collomb said. He said authorities were working to verify the card’s authenticity.

“We have passed from a very sophisticated terrorism to a terrorism where any instrument can be used for attacks,” the interior minister said.

The incident happened around 4:20 p.m. A large number of police cars descended on the Île de la Cité island in the Seine River, where the celebrated cathedral is located.

Authorities told people to stay away from the area and some took refuge inside the cathedral. People inside Notre Dame, the nearby Sainte-Chapelle chapel, and area bars and cafés were told to stay inside while the police operation was underway.

“It was really scary,” said former U.N. Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, who was inside Notre Dame.

PASCAL LE SEGRETAIN / GETTY IMAGES Police surround the Notre Dame Cathedral neighborhood in Paris on Tuesday after a hammerwielding man attacked a police officer who was guarding the site.