Man commits suicide inside Notre Dame de Paris

PanARMENIAN.Net - A man has shot himself dead inside the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris in the French capital, police say, according to BBC News.

An initial investigation found that the man had killed himself in front of the main altar shortly after 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT). Local media reports said he was a 78-year-old writer and essayist.

The cathedral was reportedly evacuated calmly after the shooting, but the exact number of people who were inside at the time was unknown.

More than 850 year olds, Notre Dame is the most popular unticketed site in Paris, with upwards of 14 million visitors each year.

The French news website Europe 1 reported the police had found a letter beside the body of the dead man.

It identified him as Dominique Venner, a former member of the Secret Army Organisation (OAS), which opposed Algerian independence in the early 1960s.

Europe 1 also said he had been close to the campaign against the government's recent decision to legalise same-sex marriage. President Francois Hollande signed the bill into law on Saturday. A note posted on Mr Venner's blog on Wednesday condemned the move.