French security forces patrol outside the Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris, France. Collomb said the policeman is in stable condition. The government plans to ask parliament to extend it from July 15, its current expiration date, until November 1. Two auxiliary bishops were also present, Dalle said, and reassured the crowd. The coordination unit will be based at the Elysee palace and operational 24 hours a day. "We had no idea if there were any accomplices inside", she said.
The attacker was armed with kitchen knives and a hammer, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told reporters, according to the AP.
The Paris prosecutor's office said it had opened an anti-terror probe into the incident.
The incident followed two other attacks on soldiers protecting prominent Paris sites, one in February at the Louvre museum and another at Orly airport in March.
French officials have not confirmed initial reports, but were quoted unoffically as saying the attacker might have hoped to strike down the gendarme and seize his weapon.
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Authorities told people to stay away from the area and some took refuge inside the cathedral.
Hundreds of tourists were deliberately locked inside the cathedral as the incident unfolded.
Anna Levy, an American tourist, said she had been about to enter the cathedral when she heard gunshots. "People are talking to each other, praying and continuing their visit", he said. A witness inside Notre Dame reported on Twitter that visitors and worshippers were safe.
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Police officers seal off the access to Notre Dame cathedral, seen in the background, after a man attacked officers with a hammer outside the famous landmark, in Paris, France, Tuesday, June 6, 2017.
The head of the Municipal Police Defense Union, Cedric Michel, said the attacker was about 40 years old.
He managed to injure the officer before police opened fire, shooting and injuring the man. The square in front of the cathedral was evacuated.
"A person came up behind the police officers, armed with a hammer, and started to hit the police officer", he said.
In total, more than 230 people have died in attacks across France in the past two-and-a-half years, majority claimed by Islamic State.
Collomb added that the injured attacked was being treated in hospital and seemed to have acted alone. Michel said the attacker was "neutralized" by police.
The motive for the attack was not immediately clear. "They are being told to remain calm and stay put until police wrap up their security operation".
Police and gendarmes at the scene on Tuesday.
The medieval Catholic cathedral is a popular destination and is located on the Île de la Cité in the Seine River.
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