Police officers seal off the access to Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France, Tuesday, June 6, 2017. Paris police say an unidentified assailant has attacked a police officer near the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the officer then shot and wounded the attacker. (AP Photo/Matthieu Alexandre)

Police officers seal off the access to Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France, Tuesday, June 6, 2017. Paris police say an unidentified assailant has attacked a police officer near the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the officer then shot and wounded the attacker. (AP Photo/Matthieu Alexandre)

PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the security operation near the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (all times local):

5:35 p.m.

Witnesses around Notre Dame Cathedral are describing a dramatic police operation in the tourist-filled site in central Paris.

Lawrence Langner, a 73-year-old American visiting the neighborhood just across the Seine River from the cathedral, told The Associated Press that he suddenly heard a commotion and two detonations like gunshots.

Journalist David Metreau, who said his office overlooks the square, tweeted that there were two blasts that sounded like shots, and posted a photo of a body lying seemingly inert on the ground.

Others posted photos online of what appeared to be the interior of medieval Notre Dame, one of France’s most-visited monuments.

___

5:25 p.m.

Paris police say an operation around Notre Dame Cathedral is over, after an attacker who targeted police with a hammer was shot and injured.

Police spokeswoman Johanna Primevert tells The Associated Press that the intervention is over. She did not provide further details.

Another police official said the attacker surged at police patrolling the scene with a hammer.

Paris police tweeted that one officer was wounded in the attack.

Hundreds of people on the esplanade in front of Notre Dame were evacuated while the operation was under way.

___

5 p.m.

Paris police say an unidentified assailant has attacked a police officer near the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the officer then shot and wounded the attacker.

A police spokesperson told The Associated Press that the officer used his weapon to shoot the attacker in Tuesday’s incident. The spokesperson, who was not authorized to be publicly named, said the attacker was being hospitalized.

A police union official, Cedric Michel, said a man armed with a hammer went after the police officer who was patrolling on the esplanade in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. Michel said the attacker was “neutralized” by police.

It is unclear whether the attacker was acting alone.

___

4:45 p.m.

Paris police say a security operation is under way near Notre Dame Cathedral and are urging passers-by to stay away from the area.

The police department tweeted about the operation on Tuesday afternoon but did not provide any details. A police official would not provide further information.

Large numbers of police cars filled the area on the Ile de Cite island in the River Seine in the center of Paris.

Paris is under high security after a string of Islamic extremist attacks in recent years.</s>PARIS (Reuters) - A man armed with a hammer shouted “this is for Syria” and wounded a policeman before being shot and wounded by other officers on Tuesday outside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, one of France’s most famous tourist sites.

The Paris prosecutor’s office swiftly launched a counter-terrorism investigation into the attack, the first since President Emmanuel Macron won power last month and days before the first round of a parliamentary election in France.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said the attacker was carrying the identification card of an Algerian student and that preliminary information indicated he had acted alone.

Dozens of armed police sealed off the area and put the Gothic cathedral into lockdown with nearly 1,000 tourists and worshippers inside.

The incident came three days after militants drove a van at high speed into pedestrians in London before stabbing revelers on the street and in nearby bars, killing seven people and wounding dozens. That followed a suicide bombing in the northern English city of Manchester that killed 22 people.

“This happens nearly every week now. I just hope it has nothing to do with the election,” David Stoklo, an American visitor to Paris, told Reuters TV.

Tuesday’s attack will put a renewed focus on France and Europe’s struggle to deal with unsophisticated, low-tech attacks in the countdown to the first round of the parliamentary election on Sunday. A second round will be held on June 18.

Macron’s rivals portrayed him as weak on security during the presidential election campaign. Collomb said fighting terrorism was the president’s “number one” priority.

French police and gendarmes stand at the scene of a shooting incident near the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, June 6, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

It was too early to tell if the attack would have any impact on the outcome of the two-round parliamentary election. A poll published earlier on Tuesday showed Macron’s new Republic on the Move party heading for a landslide win.

COPYCAT ATTACKS

Anna Levy, an American tourist, said she had been about to enter the cathedral when she heard gunshots.

“It was just scary because you didn’t know what was happening. People were just running,” she said.

Inside the cathedral when the attacker struck were about 900 holidaymakers and worshippers. One of them, Dean Blair, posted on Twitter: “Not the holiday experience wanted. Trapped in Notre Dame Cathedral after police shoot a man. We are with our 2 terrified children.”

Macron wants to extend a state of emergency that has been in place since jihadi gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in coordinated attacks on entertainment venues in Paris in late 2015.

In total, more than 230 people have died in attacks across France in the past two-and-a-half years, most of them claimed by Islamic State.

Tuesday’s attack had parallels with one in April when a militant shot dead one police officer and wounded two others on Paris’ Champs-Elysees boulevard. Other attacks have targeted the security forces and have been noticeable for their simplicity.

Slideshow (7 Images)

“We have moved on from sophisticated terrorism to a form of terrorism where any object can be used to attack,” Collomb told reporters.

He echoed British Prime Minister Theresa May who in the wake of the London Bridge attack said Britain was facing a new trend where militants are inspired by “copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack”.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Paris: Inside Notre-Dame during lockdown

Police have shot a man who attacked an officer with a hammer outside the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.

The man shouted "this is for Syria" during the attack, the interior minister said. Prosecutors have opened a terrorism investigation.

The officer suffered minor injuries. The suspect was wounded in the chest when another policeman opened fire.

Tourists fled for cover as the attack unfolded. Hundreds of people were in the cathedral at the time.

France is in a state of emergency since attacks by jihadists in Paris killed 130 people in 2015.

It is part of the US-led international coalition against IS and has conducted air strikes against militants in Syria.

The assailant on Tuesday afternoon carried kitchen knives and the identity card of an Algerian student, French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Nancy Soderberg describes being trapped inside the cathedral

The man, who was being treated in hospital, has not been named.

Image copyright Twitter - @nancysoderberg Image caption Former White House Deputy National Security Adviser Nancy Soderberg shared this picture from inside the cathedral

France, a favourite target - Hugh Schofield, BBC News, Paris

The terrorist spotlight has swung to Britain, but no-one in France is under the illusion that the country is safe. Squads of soldiers with automatic weapons at the ready are a regular sight on the streets of Paris. France remains a favourite target for the propagandists of so-called Islamic State.

What intrigues is the similar character of four recent attacks in Paris: at the Louvre in February, where a man attacked a soldier with a machete; at Orly airport in March, where an attacker was killed after trying to take a gun from a soldier; on the Champs-Elysées last month, where a gunman killed a policeman before himself being killed; and now this.

Different from the recent UK atrocities - and the earlier French attacks in Paris and Nice - none of these recent French attacks was against random targets. They were all conducted by lone men. And they were all against clearly identified symbols of the state.

As police declared the situation "under control", hundreds of people were being allowed to leave the cathedral.

Kellyn Gorman, an American tourist, said: "I was about to come inside [the cathedral] and heard the noise, the gunshots, turned around and saw the assailant on the ground where they had shot him."

Image copyright AFP Image caption Police have closed some streets and have asked people to stay away from the area

"It was very safe, very quickly contained."

Notre-Dame is one of the most visited tourist sites in Paris. Last year, police foiled an attack near the site.

The incident comes just three days after militants used a van and knives in an attack in London which left seven dead.

Recent terror attacks in France</s>PARIS — Police in Paris shot and injured a man who tried to attack officers with a hammer at the Notre Dame cathedral.

Paris police told CNN that a man was shot after attacking an officer with a hammer. The attacker was wounded but not killed, police said.

Police earlier tweeted that they were responding to an incident at the square outside the cathedral and warned the public to stay away. BFMTV reported that hundreds of people were being held inside the cathedral.

France is still in a state of emergency following the Paris attacks in November 2015, in which 130 people were killed. There has been strong police presence on the streets of Paris since then.</s>Police officials gather at the entrance to Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris on Tuesday. A French police officer has shot and injured a man who attacked him with a hammer outside Paris's Notre-Dame cathedral authorities said. Police sealed off the area in front of the cathedral, where the attacker lay injured on the ground. Pic/AFP

Paris: A man was shot and injured after he reportedly attacked a police officer with a hammer at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Tuesday.

Police warned people to stay away from the French landmark, on the Ile de Cite island on the River Seine, via Twitter message.

The officer was injured during the assault and the attacker was shot by his colleagues, The Sun reported.

The area in front of the Cathedral was sealed off, with French TV reporting that tourists were fleeing the scene.

A journalist with channel Europe 1 said an attacker lunged at an officer with a hammer.

Texan tourist Amanda Beasley said: "Just witnessed a shooting on the square in front of the Notre Dame.

"We ran for cover and were able to escape unharmed. We are all safe. One attacker was shot and the police are still trying to locate others."

The attack comes with France on high alert for more jihadist strikes after a weekend attack in London, where extremists used a van and knives to crush to death and kill seven people, one of them French.

Authorities in Paris asked the public to stay away from Notre-Dame, one of France's biggest tourist attractions situated on the banks of the Seine river in the heart of the capital.

French TV reported scenes of panic during the shooting, with tourists scrambling for cover.

France is under a state of emergency and on its highest possible level of alert following a string of terror attacks that began in 2015, which have killed over 230 people.

In the last fatal attack, a policeman was shot and killed on Paris's prestigious Champs-Elysees avenue on April 20, three days before the first round of the presidential election.

Major attacks in France targeted the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in January 2015 and in November that year, gunmen and suicide bombers attacked sites around Paris including the Bataclan concert hall, killing 130 people. Then in July last year, a radicalised Tunisian man drove a lorry at high speed through a Bastille Day fireworks display on the Nice waterfront, massacring 86 people.

Since then there have been a series of smaller attacks, often targeting security forces.</s>An unidentified assailant attacked a police officer near Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday, and the officer then shot and wounded the attacker, Paris police said.</s>Transcript for Suspect shouted 'This is for Syria' before attacking cop near Notre-Dame in Paris

It was around 4430. In the afternoon when an unidentified assailant with a hammer. Attacked a police officer patrolling outside the world famous cathedral. Police spokesperson says the officer used his weapon to shoot the attacker apparently she became twice in the chest. The assailant has been taken to the hospital of this is the scene live outside the cathedral. Police are saying that the situation is under control at this time now the attack happened. As we mentioned around 430 in the afternoon Paris time when as many as 8000 tourist were inside the cathedral. Security lockdown because he too was the incident unfolded. On the F would not outside one eyewitness saying the attacker pulled the camera out of his backpack and went straight. The officer before being shot of this Marxist mentioning curable fourth attack on Paris area police since March. When a policeman was shot and wounded in a Paris suburb ending April 1 police officer was killed. Two others wounded when an Islamist opened fire on the shots of each day. Two days later. A man wielding a knife tried to wound police officers Eddie Harris train station. These incidents plus the 2015. And scattered attack that killed 830 people in Paris had France under a state of emergency. As we mentioned the situation now. Under control according to ball and force moved in Paris while we still don't know if the attacker has any links to terrorism and anti terror investigation. Has been launched.</s>A police officer shot and wounded a man who attacked officers with a hammer near Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday, Paris police and a police union official said.Union official Cedric Michel said a man armed with a hammer went after police who were patrolling the esplanade in front of the world-famous cathedral known for its gothic architecture and gargoyles.A police spokesperson told The Associated Press that an officer used his weapon to shoot the assailant. The spokesperson was not authorized to be publicly named. He said the unidentified attacker taken to a hospital.Paris police tweeted that one officer was wounded in the attack.The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. Large numbers of police cars filled the area on the Ile de Cite island in the Seine River in the center of Paris.Hundreds of people on the esplanade in front of Notre Dame were evacuated and authorities urged people to stay away from the area. People inside Notre Dame, the nearby Sainte-Chappelle cathedral and area bars and cafes were told to stay inside.Witnesses described a dramatic police operation in the tourist-filled area.Lawrence Langner, a 73-year-old American visiting the neighborhood just across the Seine River from the cathedral, told The Associated Press that he suddenly heard a commotion and two detonations like gunshots.Journalist David Metreau, who said his office overlooks the square that fronts Notre Dame, tweeted that there were two blasts that sounded like shots. Looking down from his office, he saw a man inert on the square."The police didn't seem interested in him at the beginning," Metreau said. "I thought he was dead."They then checked his pulse and medics later came and took him away on a stretcher.Others posted photos online of what appeared to be the interior of medieval Notre Dame, one of France's most-visited monuments.Police spokeswoman Johanna Primevert told The Associated Press just before 5:30 p.m. that the operation was over. She did not provide further details.Paris remains under high security after a string of Islamic extremist attacks in recent years, including several targeting police officers and security personnel.In April, an attacker opened fire on a police van on Paris' Champs Elysees, killing one and gravely wounding two others. The attacker was shot dead by police.The incident recalled two other attacks on soldiers providing security at prominent locations around Paris, one at the Louvre museum in February and one at Orly airport in March.</s>French police said late on Tuesday evening they had shot a man outside the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, after he tried to attack a police officer using a hammer, BBC reported. One officer also sustained minor injuries.

The man is believed to have attacked a patrol of three policemen with a hammer, reported Daily Mail. The assailant, who has not been identified yet, was injured after one of the officers responded with two gunshots. Police said the man refused to stop threatening them with the hammer. The motive behind the attack is still unknown.

The police has asked the public to stay away from the Notre Dame Cathedral, added The Independent. Photos on social media showed people inside the cathedral with their hands in the air.

France has been in a state of emergency ever since the 2015 terrorist attacks in which 130 people died.</s>PARIS -- A police officer shot and wounded a man who attacked him with a hammer near Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday, Paris police and a police union official said.

Union official Cedric Michel said a man armed with a hammer went after the police officer, who was patrolling the esplanade in front of the world-famous cathedral known for its gothic architecture and gargoyles. Michel said the attacker was "neutralized" by police.

A police spokesperson told The Associated Press that the officer used his weapon to shoot the assailant. The spokesperson was not authorized to be publicly named. He said the attacker was being taken to a hospital.

The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. Large numbers of police cars filled the area on the Ile de Cite island in the Seine River in the centre of Paris as authorities urged people to stay away from the area.

Witnesses described a dramatic police operation in the tourist-filled area.

Lawrence Langner, a 73-year-old American visiting the neighbourhood just across the Seine River from the cathedral, told The Associated Press that he suddenly heard a commotion and two detonations like gunshots.

Journalist David Metreau, who said his office overlooks the square that fronts Notre Dame, tweeted that there were two blasts that sounded like shots. He posted a photo of a body lying seemingly inert on the ground.

Others posted photos online of what appeared to be the interior of medieval Notre Dame, one of France's most-visited monuments.

Police said the operation was over about an hour after it started.

Paris remains under high security after a string of Islamic extremist attacks in recent years, including several targeting police officers and security personnel.

In April, an attacker opened fire on a police van on Paris' Champs Elysees, killing one and gravely wounding two others. The attacker was shot dead by police.

The incident recalled two recent attacks on soldiers providing security at prominent locations around Paris, one at the Louvre museum in February and one at Orly airport in March.

Locked inside #notre dame cathedral in #paris while police investigate attack outside against a policeman. All calm pic.twitter.com/Z4B8wUzPTV
A man who was yelling "This is for Syria" while attacking a police officer with a hammer near Notre-Dame de Paris, France is shot and wounded by another officer. Prosecutors open a terrorism probe.