A man reportedly wielding a knife was shot and injured by police after he allegedly tried to attack an officer during a ceremony beneath the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris, officials said. The man allegedly targeted an officer on Friday afternoon, as the cop was securing the ceremony for relighting the eternal flame honouring unknown soldiers at the Napoleon-era landmark, according to a Paris police official. Another officer shot the alleged attacker, who was hospitalised, the official said.

No bystanders or police officers were injured in the incident, the official told The Associated Press. The French counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said it is investigating the case and sent an investigator to the scene. 

A statement from the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office read: “Following the events that occurred on February 13, 2026 in Paris, the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office has taken up these facts and opened a preliminary investigation.

“A magistrate from the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office is travelling to the scene in Paris.” 

The incident happened at around 6pm local time (5pm), when three members of the mobile gendarmerie were at the Arc de Triomphe for the ceremony to rekindle the flame of the Unknown Soldier, Le Parisien reports. 

The alleged attacker was “neutralised” and was taken to hospital in critical condition, the newspaper also reports. 

Access to the Charles-de-Gaulle-Etoile station, located on metro lines 1 and 6 and RER line A, was temporarily closed. 

A police cordon was also put in place on Champs-Élysées Avenue. 

The Arc de Triomphe is one of Paris’ most famous sites, and sits atop the busy Champs-Elysees avenue.