France Besieged: Jihadist Machete Attack at Louvre

The battle against radical Islamic terrorism continued Friday morning, but not in the United States.

This time, yet again, the battleground was not in the Middle East, Israel, or North Africa.

French President François Hollande said there’s “no doubt” the attempted attack on the Louvre was of a terrorist nature.

It was in France.

On Friday, French soldiers stopped an attempted attack at the Louvre, the famous Parisian museum. A suspect was shot several times in the abdomen, after the suspect produced a machete and assaulted four soldiers.

No civilians were harmed in the attack. The suspect, still alive and taken into custody, is alleged to have shouted “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great.”

That is the war cry of jihadis. And since the beginning of 2015, it is a war cry heard often in France.

After the attack, French President François Hollande said there’s “no doubt” the attempted attack on the Louvre was of a terrorist nature, according to the Associated Press.

For France, the attacks are wearying. Since January 2015, at least 230 French residents have been killed by Islamic terrorists in four major attacks.

Indeed, some of the worst attacks inspired by the Islamic State or radical jihad have been in France.

The trend of terror attacks aimed at France kicked off on Jan. 7, 2015, when French terrorists attacked “Charlie Hebdo,” a satirical magazine known for its irreverent cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad and the pope.

A total of 17 people are killed, according to the Associated Press, including 11 people in “Charlie Hebdo” headquarters.

The attack shocked the world, as this time journalists were specific targets. “Je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”) T-shirts popped up around the world, even at Washington, D.C.’s Newseum.

The terrorists claimed the attack was the result of the magazine’s satire, which featured pictures of Muhammad. Pictures of Muhammad are forbidden in Islam.

But France changed the way it fought terror after the infamous Bataclan attacks. It’s not an exaggeration to say the attacks, on Nov. 13, 2015, were likely a turning point in French anti-terrorism history, just as Sept. 11, 2001, changed the United States.

Islamic State militants killed 130 people in France’s worst terrorist attack.

It started in central Paris with bombs and gunfire. Hostages were taken at a theater. The Islamic State says it is a result of French participation in bombing runs against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

Terrorists also object to France’s anti-insurgent efforts in Mali.

Then another horrific attack took place last summer, on Bastille Day — July 14 — when an Islamic State terrorist used a truck to run people over at festivities in Nice, France. Eighty-six people were killed, according to the Associated Press.

After the attacks, French anti-terrorism tactics are stepped up again. On Friday, having soldiers at the largest museum in the world — the Louvre, where the “Mona Lisa” resides — paid off.

Reportedly, the terror suspect could not proceed inside because of his briefcase. Then he attacked French soldiers.

In the United States, the attack — if it turns out to be inspired by the Islamic State or other Islamic terror groups — is likely to be used as further justification for President Donald Trump’s tough policy on immigration and refugees.

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Trump imposed restrictions on seven troubled, predominantly Muslim states in the Middle East and Africa. They are also states where terrorism suspects have been known to operate. They are Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Libya.

On Friday morning, appearing on Fox News, Dr. Sebastian Gorka, a deputy assistant on foreign policy to President Trump, said the 90-day restriction will help the new administration make the transition successfully to its new policy of “extreme vetting” of immigrants and refugees from troubled hot spots around the world.

Gorka said it is “absurd” to suggest Trump’s new policy will lead to Islamic State recruitment success. Gorka said the near-hysteria about the policy shows a “disconnect” between media elites and the people who voted Trump into the White House.

Gorka is likely correct. If the terror attacks in Europe and the United States continue, Trump will not be dissuaded from implementing a key campaign promise to extremely vet refugees and immigrants from Middle Eastern nations rife with chaos and terrorism.