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posted by janrinok on Friday February 03 2017, @11:10AM   Printer-friendly
From BBC Television News:

An attack has occurred this morning when an individual carrying 2 backpacks and possibly weapons approached the Louvre in Paris and was engaged by a soldier who fired 5 shots. The assailant was wounded, as was a soldier during the attack. One report claims that the attacker shouted Islamic slogans during the attack.

1111GMT: A second possible assailant has been arrested. The French Govt have confirmed it is a terrorist attack.

1117GMT: It is confirmed that the first assailant attacked a soldier with a machete before being engaged and wounded.

1215GMT: Latest TV statements. The first assailant attacked a security officer and/or soldier with a machete causing wounds to his arm and face, while shouting "Allahu Akbar". A second soldier then engaged the assailant with rifle fire resulting in the assailant being seriously wounded in the stomach. The first assailant was carrying 2 backpacks but no explosives have been found in them. A search of the area is continuing. A second assailant has been arrested within the last hour a short distance away from the scene of the attack.

The Louvre Museum and the area around it is in lock-down, and the public and local workers are been evacuated from the area. The French Govt are releasing only statements that they can verify and are refusing to speculate any further during media questioning.

takyon: French soldier shoots attacker outside Louvre
Assailant Near Louvre Is Shot by French Soldier
Machete attack on soldier near Louvre was of 'terrorist nature'

 
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  • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Friday February 03 2017, @03:54PM

    by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Friday February 03 2017, @03:54PM (#462447) Journal

    I couldn't agree more, except that this is one of a series of attacks in France (Charlie Hebdo, Bataclan, Nice etc) which all affect the public perception of their own safety.

    I feel it is newsworthy because we have all seen what over-reaction can do to such a threat, for example in the USA. The security theatre there has reached almost comedic proportions, we have immigrants being banned for entering the country because they 'might' be terrorists (or at least they might know someone who has a brother who bought a bicycle from a guy that possibly once lived near a terrorist)

    The French Govt - for once - seem to be handling this calmly and sensibly. They are not making wild speculation, they are stressing that the injuries sustained by the soldiers are not serious, and they are taking reasonable precautions to ensure that nothing is overlooked.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 03 2017, @04:56PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 03 2017, @04:56PM (#462473)

    I have no problem with us discussing this story here.

    My main point was that the fear narrative pushed by the mainstream news acts as in a positive feed-back loop. Scary stories that are overblown (over-representing risk) affect public perception and drive increased interest in future scary stories. The fear of terrorism is so strong that even minor incidents become Terrorist Attacks and evidence of an increasing threat that has to opposed by any means necessary, whatever the cost.

    • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Friday February 03 2017, @06:21PM

      by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Friday February 03 2017, @06:21PM (#462517) Journal

      It is interesting that you have said that.

      This evening the news reporting is much more restrained. It is still considered a terrorist attack, but the French are certainly playing down the danger that it posed and see the outcome as justification of their current high-visibility security presence in the capital. Of course, they acknowledge that no measures can remove the risk of an attack entirely, but the reason that the attack in this case was foiled is because the soldiers stopped the assailant who was acting suspiciously and carrying 2 backpacks. The soldier who was injured he was telling him that he could not enter the museum with the backpacks when he drew the machete and began to attack the soldier.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 03 2017, @10:45PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 03 2017, @10:45PM (#462637)

        I'm glad that the French media are handling things better than the US media does.

        Do you think the current amount of security is justified or would it be best to increase/decrease it?