Louvre attack suspect silent in early interview

Associated Press

PARIS

An Egyptian man suspected of charging soldiers at Paris’ Louvre museum with a machete was questioned by French investigators Sunday for the first time since the attack.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said the suspect, who purportedly shouted “Allahu akbar!” while rushing toward the soldiers and was shot four times after slightly injuring one, remained silent during the interview and will remain in custody.

The Louvre was closed immediately after the Friday attack, but reopened for the weekend.

French authorities so far have not named the suspect, but confirmed they thought he was Egyptian.

They are being more cautious than their Egyptian counterparts, who have identified the attacker as 28-year-old Abdullah Reda Refaie al-Hamahmy.

Hamahmy’s father spoke out Saturday to say that his son is not a terrorist, but a family man who led a normal life with his wife and infant son.

Reda Refaie al-Hamahmy told The Associated Press late Saturday that he trusts the French judiciary to find out the truth behind his Abdullah’s purported involvement in the attack.

“If he is convicted, God be with us. But if he is innocent, they owe us an apology,” the father said at the family home in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura.