Notre Dame attacker claimed allegiance to Islamic State

The man who attacked a police officer outside the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris on June 6 had reportedly pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State.

According to French media reports, police investigating the incident found a video in which the 40-year-old man, Farid Ikken, pronounced himself a follower of the Islamic State.

The assailant, a native of Algeria, had worked in Sweden as a journalist and was registered as a graduate student at the University of Metz. Acquaintances said that they were not aware of any radical sympathies, and in fact did not think of him as a practicing Muslim.

Ikken was shot and wounded by police after he attacked, shouting: “This is for Syria!” One police officer suffered minor injuries in the attack.

Source: Catolic Culture