Paris Police Shoot Attacker Outside Notre Dame Cathedral

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said Tuesday the man who attacked a Paris police officer with a hammer Tuesday at the Notre Dame Cathedral shouted “It’s for Syria.”

Collumb told reporters outside the cathedral an identification card found on the attacker indicated he was an Algerian student.

The French prosecutor’s office said its counter-terrorism unit has launched an investigation into the attack, which occurred as officers patrolled the esplanade in front of the cathedral, a popular tourist attraction.

Police security operation underway at Notre Dame

The Paris police department said an officer shot and injured the man after he attacked an officer with a hammer. Collomb said the policeman is in stable condition.

Collomb said the assailant also possessed kitchen knives, an indication of a trend from “very sophisticated” acts of terrorism to “whatever tools or instruments they can find.”

Collomb said the attacker acted on his own. “He was not working in conjunction with any body,” he said.

Collomb said he and other European interior ministers will meet soon to better learn how to coordinate the sharing of intelligence in the fight against terrorism.

Paris remains under high security after several terrorist attacks in recent years, including on law enforcement and security personnel.

In April, an attacker shot at a police van on Paris’ Champs Elysees. One officer was killed and two others were injured. The attacker was fatally shot by police.