Condition of Louvre terrorist attack suspect deteriorates

Reda Abdullah al-Hamamy, the father of Abdullah Reda al-Hamamy who is suspected of attacking a soldier in Paris’ Louvre museum, holds a picture of his son. Mohamed Abd El Ghany / Reuters

PARIS // The health of an Egyptian man suspected of charging soldiers at the Louvre museum with a machete has taken a turn for the worse, French authorities said on Tuesday.

The suspect has been hospitalised in Paris since he was shot four times by soldiers on Friday after slightly injuring one in an underground mall that is part of the Paris museum complex.

He allegedly shouted “Allahu akbar!” while rushing toward the soldiers.

Identified as Abdullah Al Hamahmy, he was put under supervised custody at the European Hospital Georges-Pompidou on Saturday after his condition improved. But the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday night that the custody was “lifted” after his condition “sharply deteriorated during the day”.

His current condition was “incompatible” with keeping him in custody, it said.

After remaining silent during his first two questionings, the suspect had started to answer investigators’ questions on Monday. He confirmed his name as Abdullah Al Hamahmy and identified himself as a 29 year-old Egyptian citizen, the prosecutor’s office said.

During Monday’s questioning, the suspect gave “his first version of the facts”, the office added.

Soon after the attack, Egyptian officials identified the suspect with his full name, Abdullah Reda Refaie Al Hamahmy, but said he was 28.

With its custody ended on Tuesday night, the prosecutor’s office said the case is no longer under its supervision and has shifted to the authority of counter-terrorism investigating magistrates.

The office said it would ask the investigating judges to file preliminary terrorist charges against Al Hamahmy once his condition has improved enough. It said it was seeking charges of “attempted terrorist murders” and “terrorist criminal conspiracy”.

The Louvre was closed after the attack on Friday morning, but was reopened over the weekend.

The suspect’s father, Reda Refaie Al Hamahmy, said his son has lived in Dubai for the past five years and was employed by a law firm.

Egyptian officials have said local security agencies were gathering information on Al-Hamahmy to help establish if he was a member of any militant groups or had been radicalised. Egyptian investigators were examining his social media accounts. The information gathered will be shared with French authorities, they have said.

* Associate Press