French police secure the site near the Louvre Pyramid
French police secure the site near the Louvre PyramidReuters

The machete-wielding terrorist who tried to enter the Paris Louvre museum on Friday and was shot by soldiers was an Egyptian national who arrived in France at the end of January, a source close to the investigation told Reuters.

"According to the investigation's initial indications, it was an Egyptian national," the source said.

French media named the attacker was as Abdallah EH, who reportedly entering the country on a visa from the United Arab Emirates last week. He was unknown to police.

The attacker was shot and wounded by a soldier patrolling outside the museum after he yelled "Allahu Akbar" as he attacked security forces.

French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called the attack "terrorist in nature”, according to AFP.

French police raided a building in central Paris later on Friday as part of the probe into the attack.

Investigators entered a building near the Champs-Elysees avenue, a source told the Local news website.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)