Cairo – The father of an Egyptian man suspected of trying to attack soldiers guarding the Louvre Museum in Paris has denied his son's involvement.
The identity of the attacker has not been verified, but French investigators suspect he may be a 29-year-old Egyptian, who travelled from Dubai to Paris last month on a valid visa.
Some Egyptian media identified the suspect as Abdallah El-Hamahmy, a native of the Egyptian province of Dakahlia.
"My son is not a terrorist and has no political affiliation," Reda El-Hamahmy, the father, told Egyptian newspaper al-Masry al-Youm in remarks published Saturday.
He added that his son went to Dubai two years ago for work at a legal firm.
The father's account also contradicted French authorities' announcement that the attacker had arrived in Paris on January 26.
"On December 26, he travelled from the United Arab Emirates to France on a work assignment and was due to return Saturday," the father, an ex-police general, added.
He said that his son went to the Louvre where he took selfies there just before the attack. Al-Masry al-Youm posted photos online showing Abdallah standing outside the museum.
The suspect's father appealed to the Egyptian government to support his son.
Egypt on Saturday condemned the Louvre Museum attack, but made no mention of the assailant's identity.
France said that a man, armed with a machete in each hand, attacked soldiers at the Louvre before being shot by one of the soldiers, part of a special unit guarding the museum.
The attacker is in critical condition in hospital.