Suspected Louvre Attacker ID'd as Egyptian National on Tourist Visa

The man suspected of trying to attack a group of soldiers and police officers with a machete in a mall beneath the Louvre Museum in Paris has been identified as a 29-year-old Egyptian who was in the country on a tourist visa, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Friday evening.

Molins said the attacker, who was not named, was carrying 15-inch military machetes in each hand and lunged at four soldiers while shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great" in Arabic).

The suspect wounded one soldier and then lunged at a second, attempting to stab him, according to Molins. The soldier kicked the attacker away, but the alleged assailant lunged again, prompting a soldier to open fire. The suspect continued his attack, and a soldier shot him again, Molins said.

Molins described the attacker as "very determined" and said his condition was life-threatening. One soldier suffered a minor scalp injury during the attack, according to Paris Police Chief Michel Cadot.

French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve described the attack as "terrorist in nature" and has opened a terror investigation. French President Francois Hollande agreed, telling reporters today that there's "no doubt" the attack was of a "terrorist nature."

Hollande, who was attending the European Union summit in Malta, said the situation around the Paris landmark is "totally under control," but the overall threat to France remains. There was a significant presence of soldiers in the French capital since the country is in an extended state of emergency until July 2017.

In the wake of the incident, U.S. President Donald Trump responded to the attack on Twitter, saying France is "on edge again" and urging the United States to "get smart."

The soldiers were patrolling as part of the state of emergency security procedures in the basement of the Carrousel du Louvre -- an underground mall next to the museum entrance. The incident was in an area ahead of a museum security check point, Molins said.

Molins said that the alleged attacker did not carry ID, but left behind a backpack filled with spray paint and a vest with a cellphone. Authorities checked the name linked to the phone's SIM card against a database of visa holders and found that it matched the attacker's fingerprints: he was identified as a 29-year-old Egyptian man who lives in the United Arab Emirates, according to the prosecutor. He was unknown to French security services, Molins said.

The prosecutor said the suspect applied for a French tourist visa in Dubai in Oct. 2016, and in Nov. 2016 he was granted a tourist visa for a month-long stay between Jan. 20 and Feb. 20, 2017. The prosecutor said he flew to Paris on Jan. 26, 2017 and had a return ticket for Feb. 5. On Jan. 28, the suspect bought two machetes, Molins said. He rented a home in Paris where authorities found the bill and two machete holders, Molins said.

The prosecutor said authorities were still investigating whether he acted alone. The French president told reporters he expects the attacker to be questioned "when it is possible to do so."

A spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior said a second person was arrested on-site. It was not clear if this individual had a direct connection to the attacker

ABC News' Lena Masri, Rym Momtaz and Brendan Rand contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.