Suspect in Louvre attack quizzed for first time

The suspect, believed to be an Egyptian national, was shot in the stomach and seriously wounded after lunging at soldiers with two machetes on Friday. 

Investigators decided to question him in hospital after his condition improved, the source said. The man “is refusing to speak to investigators for now”, the source added. The suspect has been held at a Paris hospital since Friday’s attack near the historic museum, which thrust the issue of security back into the headlines three months ahead of the French presidential election. 

Based on his phone and visa records, he is thought to be Abdallah El-Hamahmy, a 29-year-old Egyptian national living in the UAE, who entered France legally on a flight from Dubai on Jan 26. 

Investigators believe Hamahmy rented an expensive apartment near the Champs Elysees. Police were examining Hamahmy’s Twitter account after around a dozen messages were posted in Arabic just minutes before the attack.