
French police officials gather at the entrance to Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris on June 6, 2017.
One officer was hit in the head with the hammer, prompting police to fire at the attacker.
"A man came behind these police officers and, armed with a hammer, started hitting one of them. His colleagues reacted with composure...and fired," French interior minister Gerard Collomb told reporters, as quoted by Reuters.
The man shouted "this is for Syria" as he attacked, according to Collomb.
The attacker had also threatened passers-by before targeting the three police officers, according to BFM TV.














Comment: Update: Camera footage of the attack has surfaced: