France responds to terror attempt at Notre Dame

Paris officials have set up a special meeting and taken other security measures after confirming a hammer-wielding man who attacked police officials Tuesday was a terrorist.

Police were patrolling around the Notre Dame cathedral when the attacker lunged at them with a hammer, yelling, “This is for Syria!” The officials shot the attacker, who remains hospitalized. One police officer was injured. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but security officials who searched the suspect’s apartment found he had declared allegiance to Islamic State (ISIS). Government spokesman Christophe Castane on Wednesday said the attack was an isolated act. Authorities found a student ID in the suspect’s home that identified him as 40-year-old Algerian native Farid Ikken. They said he was working on a doctoral thesis at the University of Lorraine and had worked as a journalist in Sweden and Algeria.

French President Emmanuel Macron has convened a special security meeting today to examine new counterterrorism measures. Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said the meeting would address extending the country’s state of emergency, which is set to end July 15. The French president also plans to create a new task force to coordinate counterterrorism and intelligence services 24 hours a day.

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