A man dressed like a ninja attacked two police officers with a sword after allegedly stealing a vehicle in Cherbourg in northwestern France, a police spokeswoman said.

The man was dressed in black in the style of traditional Japanese ninja fighters. He was shot and captured after wounding one policewoman in the face and the other in the chin when they arrived at the scene of the car theft.

"He was neutralized with bullets," the Cherbourg press office told CNN, but they could not say what condition the man was in.

However, Reuters noted that the assailant was shot three times by the officers and was flown to the hospital by helicopter in serious condition.

French Interior Minister Gérard Darmanin expressed his support for the police officers on Twitter.

“During an intervention on a vehicle theft in Cherbourg, two police officers were injured. Support for the national police,” Darmanin said.

The attack happened around 3:45 p.m. local time and the name and nationality of the attacker remain unknown.

Authorities added that there were no immediate signs that the attack was terrorism-related.